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Anthony Williams is also charged with a spate of knife attacks in Peterborough
Holly EvansMonday 01 December 2025 12:04 GMT
open image in galleryAnthony Williams is accused of stabbing multiple people on a train in Cambridgeshire (X)
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A man charged over a mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire and a spate of knife attacks in Peterborough has failed to attend his court hearing, and will stand trial next year.
Anthony Williams, 32, is accused of attempting to murder 10 people on an LNER service from Doncaster to London on 1 November, which led to 11 people being treated in hospital.
He is also accused of attempting to murder a 17-year-old on a DLR train at Pontoon Dock in east London as well as several separate incidents on 31 October.
He did not attend Monday’s hearing at Cambridge Crown Court, with a provisional trial date set for 22 June 2026.
The attack started shortly after the train left Peterborough station, with passengers pulling the emergency alarms. Train driver Andrew Johnson, who served in the Royal Navy for 17 years, contacted a signaller and requested an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station.
open image in galleryPolice officers and members of the emergency services search the track beneath an LNER train at Huntingdon Station (AFP via Getty Images)Williams has been charged with the attempted murder of Scott Bletcher; Michael Paffett; Kevin Deely; Jonathan Gjoshe; David Presland; Sachin Balakrishnan; Stephen Crean; Samir Zitouni; Rasza Aslam and Scott Green.
Mr Zitouni, who had been working as a train crew member, was left in a critical condition with multiple injuries after being credited with helping to save multiple lives.
Williams is also charged with the attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, and the attempted murder of a 22-year-old man, William Ogelby.
The two separate incidents are both said to have happened in Peterborough on 31 October, the former at a footbridge above Henry Penn Walk and the latter at Rail World car park.
He is also accused of the attempted wounding of 28-year-old Dawid Taborski on the same footbridge, which occurred at around 7pm.
open image in galleryThe incident saw 11 people treated in hospital for injuries (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)At 7.20pm, he is accused of affray at Ritzy’s Barbers in Queens Walk, as well as the theft of a pack of knives, described in a court document as a “four-pack of kitchen knives to the value of £15” from an Asda store in Stevenage.
This theft was said to have happened on 31 October.
Williams is charged with the assault of Jordan Morley on a King’s Cross to Peterborough train on 1 November.
He is also charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place at a footbridge near Henry Penn Walk, the Rail World car park and Queen’s Walk, all in Peterborough, on 31 October.
The alleged knifeman was remanded into custody following his arrest in Huntingdon.
Cambridgeshire Police announced 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.
