Passengers threw items including a toaster and a woman’s Zimmer frame at a man who was stabbing people on a busy train, a court has heard. Anthony Williams stands accused of stabbing 10 people on the train, which made an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on 1 November last year.
Victims Recount Chaos and Defense Efforts
One of the victims, Raza Aslam, told Cambridge Crown Court he was handed a frying pan to defend himself as “all hell’s broken loose”. Jurors have been watching video interviews with the stabbing victims, who were attacked on the York to London King’s Cross LNER service.
Aslam stated that not long after the train left Peterborough, someone burst through the back door of his carriage and warned everyone to run. He recounted helping a mother and child lock themselves inside a toilet while he remained in the carriage.
Aslam described how train staff member Samir Zitouni rushed back and forth to gather items like trolleys and pans for defense. Williams then appeared before Aslam felt the knife stabbing him. Aslam recalled that Zitouni and another man threw objects, including a woman’s Zimmer frame, and credited the staff member with saving his life. Describing Williams as the “calmest person I’ve ever met”, Aslam noted the attacker had plenty of opportunity to continue stabbing them but did not.
Another victim, Michael Paffett, explained that people knocked a catering trolley onto its side to act as a barrier and that a man threw a full-size toaster at the attacker.
Football Fan Grappled With the Attacker
Jurors also listened to the account of football fan Stephen Crean, who stood near the buffet car door after buying a meal deal. Crean stated that Williams asked him if he wanted to die while pulling out a blade. After people struggled to shut the buffet door, Crean moved toward Williams once the door clicked shut.
Crean, wearing Nottingham Forest clothing, said he grappled with Williams to stop him from using the knife in an encounter that felt “like Come Dancing”. Crean sustained cuts to his fingers as Williams twisted and turned the weapon. He managed to call 999 from a locked toilet and only emerged when he heard police officers arrive. Describing Williams’ demeanor, Crean said he looked normal and was simply on a mission without seeming angry.
Williams, 33, of Langford Road in Peterborough, denies 10 counts of attempted murder. He also denies four other alleged attempted murders stemming from earlier incidents in Peterborough and London. Prosecutors allege that on 31 October he attempted to kill three people in Peterborough, and that he tried to murder a teenager on 1 November on a DLR train in east London.
The court has been told that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question, but jurors must determine whether he intended to kill. The trial continues.
