A man accused of a mass stabbing on a busy intercity train and a series of separate violent incidents has refused to attend court, as a judge set a provisional trial date for next summer.
Suspect Faces 21 Charges Over Alleged Spree
Anthony Williams, aged 32, is now charged with a total of 21 offences following a hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday, 1 December 2025. The charges stem from an alleged violent spree across multiple locations, culminating in the attack on a London North Eastern Railway (LNER) service.
Williams, who did not appear for the hearing and has yet to enter pleas, faces ten counts of attempted murder and one count of possession of a knife in connection with the alleged stabbing on a train travelling from Doncaster to London on 1 November. The incident prompted a major emergency response at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire.
Series of Alleged Attacks in 48-Hour Period
The court joined seven further charges to the case, relating to a series of incidents in the 48 hours preceding the train attack. These additional charges allege a pattern of violence in Peterborough and London.
The prosecution alleges that on 31 October, Williams attempted to murder a 14-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man in separate incidents in Peterborough. He is also charged with the attempted wounding of a 28-year-old man, affray at a Peterborough barbershop, possession of a knife in a public place on three occasions, and the theft of knives from an Asda supermarket in Stevenage.
Further charges relate to an alleged assault on a 31-year-old man on a train from King's Cross to Peterborough on 1 November, and a separate incident earlier that same day at Pontoon Dock Docklands Light Railway (DLR) station in east London, for which he faces another count of attempted murder and possession of a knife.
An additional charge of assault occasioning actual bodily harm relates to an alleged attack on a male police officer while Williams was in custody.
Provisional Trial Date Set for Summer 2026
Despite the defendant's absence, Judge Mark Bishop proceeded with the hearing. The judge set a further hearing for 28 January 2026 and pencilled in a provisional trial date to begin on 22 June 2026.
Williams, who told an earlier hearing he is of no fixed abode, also failed to attend a previous hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court on 19 November regarding the seven additional charges. He remains in custody.
The case has drawn significant attention due to the severity of the alleged attacks on public transport and in community settings, raising broader questions about public safety and knife crime.
