Prosecutor Tells Jury Knife Attack on LNER Train Caused "Terror and Fear on an Unimaginable Scale"
A prosecutor told jurors at Cambridge Crown Court on 28 October 2026 that Anthony Williams caused "terror and fear on an unimaginable scale" aboard an LNER train. Williams, 33, is accused of attempting to murder 10 passengers and staff on the London-bound service on 1 November 2025. The Guardian reported the opening remarks from Christopher Paxton KC, the senior barrister leading the prosecution.
Williams has admitted wounding 12 people but denies 14 counts of attempted murder. Those counts cover the train attack and incidents in London and Peterborough. A Crown Court is the part of the English court system that hears serious criminal cases, with a jury of members of the public deciding guilt or innocence.
The train had run from Doncaster to London. According to the prosecution's account as reported by The Guardian, the driver made an emergency stop at Huntingdon during the attack. Passenger Stephen Crean tried to wrestle the knife from Williams. Passenger Scott Green was stabbed while trying to grab it. Train crew member Samir Zitouni was stabbed several times while trying to stop Williams with a frying pan.
Anthony Williams is also alleged to have asked a passenger "Do you want to die" during the attack, according to The Times.
The prosecution also alleges earlier violence. Williams is accused of stabbing four people in the 24 hours before the train attack. In the early hours of 1 November, he is alleged to have approached a 17-year-old boy on the Docklands Light Railway in London and stabbed him in the face and hand. On the evening of 31 October, he is alleged to have attacked three people in Peterborough, including a 14-year-old boy.
Williams, who is of no fixed abode, was remanded in custody, meaning he was held in prison before trial, after being charged. The Crown Prosecution Service, which brings criminal cases in England and Wales, announced the charges in November 2025 and later announced further charges.
The allegations described above have not been tested before a jury, and Williams's denial of the 14 attempted murder counts stands as his plea on those charges.
