Anthony Williams trial opens over Halloween weekend knife attacks, including on LNER train

Mixed · 2The trial of Anthony Williams, 33, opened at Cambridge Crown Court on Wednesday 28 October. He is accused of 14 counts of attempted murder over a series of knife attacks during the Halloween weekend of 2025. 1 2 Mixed · 2Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC told the jury that Williams "posed a dangerous threat, marauding through towns and cities, on streets and trains alike, armed with a knife", and that he stabbed people "seeking to end their lives with deadly intention". 1 2 Mixed · 2The court heard the attacks began in Peterborough on 31 October, where three people were targeted, including a 14-year-old boy stabbed on a footbridge. Dawid Taborski and William Ogelby were attacked nearby; the Daily Mail reports they avoided injury. 1 2

Mixed · 2A 17-year-old, Isaiah Idris, was then knifed in the face and hand at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London. He told police his attacker asked, "Are you beefing with the devil?" and he later had hand surgery and spent four days in hospital. 1 2 Mixed · 2On the evening of 1 November, Williams boarded an LNER service to London at Peterborough at 7.26pm, carrying what the prosecution described as a large kitchen knife and a bottle of fortified tonic wine. Ten people on the train were attacked, nine passengers and a member of staff, and the train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon at 7.44pm, where he was arrested. 2 1 Mixed · 2Mr Paxton said passengers ran "in sheer terror", hiding in locked toilets, store cabinets or under seats until many "literally ran out of train". Some fought back with frying pans or toasters or tried to de-escalate by asking why he was doing it, and the Daily Mail adds that one told him they loved him. 1 2

Mixed · 2Named victims included David Presland, 73, attacked after he fell to the floor; Scott Green, who tried to grab the knife blade while sitting with his dog Poppy; Kevin Deely, stabbed in the scalp and stomach; and Jonathan Gjoshe, the first train victim. Train crew member Samir Zitouni tried to use a frying pan and was stabbed multiple times, and passenger Stephen Crean, who was stabbed in the hand, head and lower back, grappled with Williams in CCTV shown to jurors. 1 2 Mixed · 2Mr Paxton said Crean would tell the jury Williams asked him, "Do you want to die?", which the prosecution called clear evidence of intent to kill. The Daily Mail says the attack ended due to the "quick thinking of the train driver", who diverted the train to Huntingdon. 1 2 Left · 1Mr Paxton told jurors Williams accepts he intended to cause the victims really serious harm but denies intending to kill them, and described a "ripple effect" as the attack spread down the train, with terror "on an unimaginable scale". 3

Left · 3Accounts differ on the Peterborough victims and some details: the Mirror, Metro and Standard say Williams lunged at Dawid Taborski and tried to stab William Ogelby four times in the chest in the Rail World car park (the Mirror adding he first asked "are you involved?" and produced a large or zombie knife), while the Mail says both avoided injury. Metro and the Mail give differing descriptions of Kevin Deely's stomach wound (more than 9cm, or a four-inch cut). 4 3 2 Mixed · 2Williams, who appeared by videolink, accepts carrying out the attacks but denies all 14 attempted murder counts. The jury heard he admitted attacking people with a knife intending to cause really serious harm, plus affray and knife possession at a Peterborough barbershop, stealing knives from an Asda in Stevenage, and common assault by spitting at a passenger. Mr Justice Calver told jurors they must decide whether he intended to kill. 1 2 Right · 1The Daily Mail reports Williams appeared from Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire with an intermediary to help him understand proceedings. Mr Paxton said that even if Williams viewed his victims as "the devil", this gave no lawful reason to attack them. The trial is due to last six weeks. 2