Passengers aboard a train traveling through Cambridgeshire initially believed a man was joking when he alerted them to a stabbing, a court has heard. The incident occurred on 1 November last year on a London-bound LNER service from York, which was forced to make an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon after ten people were stabbed. Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire. Follow Cambridgeshire news on Sounds, Facebook, external, Instagram, external and X, external.
Cambridge Crown Court was shown CCTV footage of the attack alongside recorded police interviews with several victims. Jonathan Gjoshe, the first person attacked, told officers he was using his phone in carriage J when 33-year-old Anthony Williams approached him. Gjoshe stated he initially thought the attacker was an acquaintance before the assault began.
Describing the moments leading up to the assault, Gjoshe recalled making eye contact before a blade was drawn.
He explained that the initial stabbing felt slow and unusual, but the shock quickly triggered an adrenaline rush, forcing him to leap over a table to escape. With his arm covered in blood, he ran through the carriage shouting for people to run, though several passengers remained seated assuming it was a joke. He described the ordeal as horrific and movie-like.
Gjoshe spent four days in hospital following the incident, where he remembered asking medical staff if he was going to survive. He noted that the assailant maintained a neutral expression throughout the encounter and appeared to have been drinking.
Trial Developments & Victim Testimony
- Case details: Huntingdon Train Attack trial proceedings
- Source coverage: Media updates and court podcast documentation
- Additional testimony: Sachin Balakrishnan, a passenger in carriage J, detailed the chaotic scene inside the train.
Balakrishnan recalled hearing screams before seeing passengers vaulting over seats to escape a man wielding a large knife who was speaking incoherently. He described running through the carriage with nowhere safe to hide, initially mistaking the blood soaking his sleeve for a spilled drink before realizing he had been stabbed in his right arm.
Another victim, 73-year-old David Presland, told the court he was on his hands and knees on the carriage floor when he was stabbed by Williams. Presland remarked that he felt fortunate to survive what he believed was a life-threatening attack, adding that another passenger named Kevin provided immediate assistance.
Williams, residing on Langford Road in Peterborough, faces ten counts of attempted murder connected to the Huntingdon incident. The victims named in relation to the train attack are Jonathan Gjoshe, Sachin Balakrishnan, David Presland, Raza Aslam, Scott Bletcher, Stephen Crean, Kevin Deely, Scott Green, Michael Paffett, and Samir Zitouni. Additional reporting by the Press Association.
In addition to the train service charges, prosecutors allege that Williams attempted to murder three people in Peterborough on 31 October, as well as a teenager on a Docklands Light Railway (DLR) train in east London during the early hours of 1 November. Williams denies all fourteen counts of attempted murder. The court heard that while the physical actions of the attacks are uncontested, jurors must determine whether the defendant acted with specific intent to kill.
- But I could feel my top getting wet. I thought it might have been my drink,” he recalled, i thought I was alright.
- Anthony Williams is accused of attempting to murder 10 people on the train that made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon.
