Train crew tried to tackle knife attack man with frying pan during 'rampage,' court told

Anthony Williams is standing trial at Cambridge Crown Court following the knife attack on the train from Doncaster to London on November 1 last year.

The train pulled in at Huntingdon Station following the incident.

Williams, admits that he carried out the attack but has pleaded not guilty to 14 counts of attempted murder.

Along with incidents on the train, he has also been charged with incidents in Peterborough – including stabbing a boy near Henry Penn Walk.

Survivors speak of attack on train

The court was told member of train crew Samir Zitouni tried to use a frying pan to stop Williams, but was stabbed multiple times, the court was told.

The jury in the trial has also heard stories from other people who were attacked on the train.

The court heard how Sachin Balakrishnan was left with a stab wound to his chest that was 3.59cm from his heart.

He was on the phone to his partner while travelling on the train from Peterborough, when he heard people screaming.

Mr Balakrishnan described how Williams was “stabbing me or was like trying to hurt me – I think I asked him what he wants – but it’s just saying something but it’s not nothing meaningful,” the court heard.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said the passenger believed only his reflexes had saved him, and recalled “people screaming and everyone’s running for their lives, people hiding”.

As he hid in a pantry, Mr Balakrishnan “could feel pain in his arm, could see the flesh of the wound and could feel his top getting wet with blood”, the jury heard.

The court has heard stories from others on the train.

Attacker said ‘do you want to die?’

A recording of a call made by passenger Stephen Crean was played to the jury, in which he said “I need help” and “I’m scared” from a toilet he locked himself inside until police knocked on the door at Huntingdon station.

The court was shown footage of Mr Crean confronting Williams, after telling others to shut the door and stay hidden in a cafe bar area of the train, when he was stabbed to his back, hip, fingers and head.

Mr Paxton told the court: “Mr Crean had no knife, no weapon, and looked, he will tell you, the defendant in the eyes, and Mr Crean says the defendant said something he will never forget.

“It was these words, ‘Do you want to die?’”

The court heard Mr Crean, who was a Nottingham Forest fan travelling home from a game, described Williams as being on a “mission” during the attack and their interaction “was like Come Dancing, it was like we were all over the place”.

One of the victims, 73-year-old David Presland, was attacked after he fell to the ground, and other passengers fled, but eventually “ran out of train” in their bid to escape.

He said he ‘thought he was going to die’ in a ‘storm of violence’ on the train.

Mr Paxton told jurors: “Whilst on the floor, this defendant, Mr Williams, stabbed Mr Presland many times.”

He said Mr Presland told police: “I thought I was going to die. I’m very lucky that I’ve survived.”

The court heard that the pensioner told police he was “on his hands and knees” and “that’s when he stabbed me in the back, and that’s when I turned around in front of him, and I just looked at his face and he stabbed me under the arm”.

Mr Presland needed hospital treatment for three stab wounds – one of them 6.85cm deep to the right side of his upper chest, which punctured his lung and broke a rib. Another was to the armpit area, and a further wound to his lower back around 5.9cm from his spinal cord, Mr Paxton said.

"I don’t think I’m going to make it’

Scott Green, who had his dog Poppy with him, tried to grab the knife from Williams, who continued to stab him as he sat in his seat, while Kevin Deely was also attacked on the train and received stab wounds to his scalp and midriff, penetrating his stomach by more than 9cm, the court heard.

The court heard another passenger, Scott Bletcher, recalled saying “I don’t think I’m going to make it” after being stabbed to his head, chest and forearm.

Mr Paxton said Mr Bletcher, who was in a window seat, was a “sitting duck for the armed defendant”.

The prosecutor said Mr Bletcher called 999 and hid in a bike rack until the train stopped.

“At that stage, Mr Bletcher will explain he felt incredibly tired, was struggling to keep his eyes open and recalls saying, and I quote, ‘I don’t think I’m going to make it’,” Mr Paxton said.

Mr Paxton KC told jurors that by his pleas of not guilty, Anthony Williams denies the allegations of attempted murder, but that he accepts he attacked those named in the indictment.

He said: “The defendant does accept that he attacked those named in the indictment and accepts he intended to cause them really serious harm, but he denies he intended to kill them when he stabbed them or stabbed out towards them.”

Williams denies all 14 counts of attempted murder. The trial continues.