Man admits train stabbings but denies attempted murder charges

Summarised from 4 outlets · Updated 19 Oct, 13:14 · Archive

Anthony Williams has admitted wounding ten people on a London-bound train but denies attempting to murder them.

Anthony Williams, 33, admitted stabbing ten people on an LNER train travelling from Doncaster to London King's Cross on the evening of November 1 last year. At a pre-trial hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday, he pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wounding with intent and two of attempting to wound with intent relating to that incident and other attacks. However, he continues to deny 14 counts of attempted murder and is due to stand trial on 26 October.

Williams was arrested in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on November 1 following 999 calls from passengers. He is also charged in relation to a series of knife-related offences said to have taken place in the hours before and after the train attack.

At the pre-trial hearing on Monday, Williams pleaded guilty to affray at a barbershop in Peterborough on 31 October and theft of kitchen knives from an Asda store in Stevenage the same day. He admitted possessing bladed articles in public places in Peterborough on 31 October and at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London in the early hours of 1 November.

Williams further pleaded guilty to a common assault on a Govia Thameslink train travelling from St Pancras to Biggleswade on 1 November and to possessing a knife on a train between Peterborough and Huntingdon the same day. He also admitted assault occasioning actual bodily harm to a police officer in custody on 2 November.

How it is being reported

• Man pleads guilty to Huntingdon mass train stabbings but denies attempted murderAnthony Williams pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wounding with intent and will stand trial next weekThe Independent · 19 Oct, 13:05
• Man accused over London-bound train stabbings admits string of knife attacksAnthony Williams denies attempted murder charges over the mass stabbings on an LNER service bound for King's Cross.Evening Standard · 19 Oct, 11:58
• Man admits Huntingdon train stabbings - but still faces trial on attempted murder chargesA man has admitted stabbing 10 people on a London-bound LNER train - but still faces trial on more serious attempted murder charges.Sky News · 19 Oct, 11:22
• Man accused of mass stabbing in Huntingdon train attack admits string of chargesAnthony Williams, 32, was arrested in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on November 1 last year following the alleged incident on a train between Doncaster and London's King's Cross.Daily Mail · 19 Oct, 11:19

In this story: Anthony Williams · Cambridge Crown Court · Huntingdon · Doncaster · London King's Cross · Peterborough · Stevenage · LNER

This summary was written by AI from the headlines and standfirsts above, and states as fact only what at least two outlets report. How we use AI · Report a problem