A man accused of 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 years old, is accused of trying to kill 10 people on the LNER service from Doncaster to London on 1 November, which led to 11 people being treated in hospital.
He is also accused of trying to kill 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 June 22, 2026.
The attack began shortly after the train left Peterborough station, with passengers raising the emergency alarms. Train driver Andrew Johnson, who served in the Royal Navy for 17 years, contacted a signalman and requested an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station.
Police officers and members of the emergency services search the track under an LNER train at Huntingdon Station (AFP via Getty Images)
Williams was charged with the attempted murder of Scott Bletcher; Michael Paffett; Kevin Deely; Jonathan Gjoshe; David Presland; Sachin Balakrishnan; Stephen Crean; Samir Zitouni; Race Aslam and Scott Green.
Mr Zitouni, who had been working as a member of the train crew, was left in a critical condition with multiple injuries after being credited with helping to save several 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 22-year-old William Ogelby.
The two separate incidents are said to have both taken place in Peterborough on October 31, the first on a footbridge over Henry Penn Walk and the latter in the Rail World car park.
He is also charged with the attempted wounding of 28-year-old Dawid Taborski on the same footbridge, which occurred around 7pm.
The incident saw 11 people treated in hospital for injuries (Copyright 2025 The Associated Press. All rights reserved)
At 7.20pm, he is accused of a disturbance at Ritzy’s Barbers in Queens Walk, as well as stealing 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 robbery was said to have taken place on October 31.
Williams is accused of attacking Jordan Morley on a King’s Cross to Peterborough train on 1 November.
He is also charged with having a bladed object in a public place at a footbridge near Henry Penn Walk, the Rail World car park and Queen’s Walk, all in Peterborough, on October 31.
The alleged knifeman has been remanded in custody following his arrest in Huntingdon.
Cambridgeshire Police has announced that it has commissioned an internal review of the events leading up to the mass stabbing on the LNER train service from Doncaster to King’s Cross.