Huntingdon train attacks suspect refuses to appear at court

A man accused of stabbing 10 people on a train failed to appear in court after refusing to join a prison video link.

Passengers were seriously injured on the train from Doncaster to London King’s Cross after it stopped in Peterborough on 1 November.

Anthony Williams, 32, of Langford Road, Peterborough, has been charged with 13 counts of attempted murder, which is also linked to other alleged attacks.

The brief hearing was adjourned at Cambridge Crown Court and hearings will continue on January 28.

The 6.25pm ​​service was diverted and stopped at Huntingdon, where Mr Williams was eventually arrested, following numerous 999 calls from the train.

Mr Williams, who was represented in court by barrister Graham Arnold, is charged with 21 offences.

Huntingdon claims:

• Attempted murder of 10 people on the train
• Possessing a bladed object
• Actual bodily harm in connection with an alleged assault of a police officer while in custody

Other claims:

• One count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article after a man was injured in the face at Pontoon Dock DLR station in Silvertown, east London, in the early hours of November 1
• Attempted murder of a 14-year-old boy on Henry Penn Walk, Peterborough, on 31 October
• Attempted murder of a 22-year-old man at Rail World Car Park in Peterborough on 31 October
• Attempted to deliberately injure a 28-year-old man on Henry Penn Walk, Peterborough, on October 31.
• Possession of a bladed instrument in a public place on Henry Penn Walk
• An altercation regarding an alleged incident that occurred at Ritzy Barbers in Peterborough on October 31
• Theft of knives from an Asda supermarket in Stevenage on 31 October
• Common assault on a 31-year-old man on a train traveling between Hitchin in Hertfordshire and Biggleswade in Bedfordshire on 1 November

After the incident on November 1, 11 people were treated at Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. They have all since been discharged.

The court was previously told Mr Williams refused to enter the prison video link room.

Judge Mark Bishop set a provisional hearing date of June 22.