Train knifeman was noted as suffering from schizophrenia, court told

A knifeman who stabbed 10 people on a London-bound train that was stopped at Huntingdon was noted to suffer from schizophrenia and said he was hearing voices, a court heard.

Anthony Williams was observed jumping on a toilet and stroking an air vent while in custody at a Cambridge police station following his arrest, Cambridge Crown Court was told.

The 33-year-old had been arrested in a car park at Huntingdon train station shortly after the LNER service was brought to an unscheduled stop on November 1 last year.

Officers used a Taser during the arrest, and Williams was hit in the groin by a round fired from a baton gun, the court heard.

Custody sergeant James Cox, who was on shift at Parkside Police Station in Cambridge when Williams was brought in, was asked about custody logs by Gillian Jones KC, defending.

Ms Jones said: “It was reported to you that he (Williams) suffers from psychosis, wasn’t it.”

Mr Cox replied: “I believe so, yes.”

The barrister said: “It was reported to you that he took medication.”

Mr Cox again replied: “I believe so, yes.”

Ms Jones said the sergeant had spoken to the officers who brought Williams into custody and “you had been informed by them that Mr Williams suffers from schizophrenia”, to which Mr Cox replied “yes”.

Ms Jones said Williams was observed “jumping on the toilet and seeming to interfere with the vent” in a cell, and Mr Cox said “that’s correct”.

The barrister said an officer “noted Mr Williams seemed to be feeling the walls of his cell”.

“He had also been checking the peephole and had again been climbing on this toilet several times and stroking the air vent,” she said, and Mr Cox agreed.

Ms Jones said that a note from a healthcare worker in custody logs said Williams “appeared to be responding to voices”.

The barrister said Williams “laughed” and agreed when asked if he was hearing any voices, according to the log, and when asked what the voices were saying “he smiled and said ‘lots of things’”.

Ms Jones said Williams was assessed at the time as not being fit for interview.

Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC said Mr Cox had answered “no” to the question, “Does the detainee have or appear to have difficulties understanding or communicating effectively?”.

Williams denies attempting to murder 10 people on the LNER train.

He also denies the attempted murders of three people in Peterborough on October 31 and of a 17-year-old boy at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of November 1.

Judge Mr Justice Calver earlier told jurors at Cambridge Crown Court that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question, but they must consider whether he intended to kill.

PC Caitlin Brown said she heard Williams “talking about the devil and the word evil” as he was driven to custody.

She said he “appeared to be talking to himself” and “I could see at one point he was laughing”.

She said when asked if he was ok, his response was to say “excellent”.

Ms Brown said when they arrived at custody, Williams “leant forward to me and said something like ‘do you think it was worth it’.”

The trial continues.