Man charged over mass stabbing faces court over seven further allegations

A man has been charged with seven further offences following the stabbing spree on a high-speed train in Cambridgeshire on November 1, and will appear in court later on Wednesday, British Transport Police said.

Anthony Williams, 32, has been charged with the attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy and the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man in Peterborough in separate incidents, and attempted grievous bodily harm of a 22-year-old in the city, all on October 31.

Williams, of Langford Road, Peterborough, is also accused of affray and possession of a bladed article in connection to an incident at Ritzy Barbers in Peterborough, theft of knives from an Asda supermarket in Stevenage and assaulting a 31-year-old man on a train travelling between Hitchin and Biggleswade, all on October 31.

He will appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Wednesday afternoon.

BTP Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy said: “These are a significant set of new charges. Our investigation into the awful incident at Huntingdon has also focused on other offences previously reported to police or identified by our investigation.

“We have worked closely with our colleagues in Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire Police alongside the Crown Prosecution Service to bring these charges.

“I would once again like to stress the importance of not saying or publishing anything which might jeopardise or prejudice ongoing criminal proceedings, or the integrity of the investigation.”

Williams was remanded into custody at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on November 3 charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over the incident on the train, which led to 11 people being treated at hospital.

The new attempted murder and attempted GBH charges relate to three different victims, with the 14-year-old boy treated in hospital and discharged, while the two men were uninjured.

No further action is being taken over a second reported incident at Ritzy Barbers on November 1.

Siobhan Blake, chief crown prosecutor for West Midlands, said: “These additional charges follow an investigation by British Transport Police.

“Our prosecutors have worked to establish that there is sufficient evidence to bring this case to court and that it is in the public interest to pursue criminal proceedings.”

Williams is due to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1, where the prosecution will apply to join all the charges together.

Cambridgeshire Police announced earlier this week that it has commissioned an internal review of events prior to the mass stabbing on the LNER train service from Doncaster to King’s Cross.