A man accused of a mass stabbing on a train and separate attacks faces a trial next year after refusing to attend a court hearing.
Anthony Williams, 32, is charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after several people were stabbed on an LNER train from Doncaster to London on the evening of November 1, which was stopped in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire. He was due to appear via video link at Cambridge Crown Court to enter pleas on the attack but refused to join 'the link room'.
A psychiatric report has been ordered into Williams' mental state and the hearing today was adjourned until January 28, at the same court. A provisional trial date has been set for June 22 at Cambridge Crown Court under a High Court Judge.
Williams, who said at an earlier hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court that he is of no fixed abode, is also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an alleged attack on a male police officer while he was in custody. He faces a further charge of possession of a bladed article on November 1.
Separately, Williams is charged with one count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article over an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of November 1, where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.
At Monday's hearing, the case was joined together with a set of seven further charges, forming an indictment with a total of 21 counts. Williams is charged with the attempted murders of a 14-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man, and the attempted wounding of a 28-year-old man, in Peterborough on October 31.
He is also charged with affray at a barbershop in Peterborough on October 31, and the theft of a pack of knives from an Asda store in Stevenage on October 31. Williams is charged with the assault of a man on a King's Cross to Peterborough train on November 1.
He is also charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place at a footbridge near Henry Penn Walk, the Rail World car park and Queen's Walk, all in Peterborough, on October 31.
Judge Mark Bishop said a further hearing will take place at Cambridge Crown Court on January 28, and he set a provisional trial date of June 22, while Williams remains in custody.
It comes after a train crew member seriously injured while protecting passengers during the stabbing was discharged from hospital last month. Samir Zitouni, known as Sam, was working onboard the LNER train when the attack happened.
LNER said the 48-year-old, who has worked for the firm for more than 20 years, has been credited with helping to save multiple lives. British Transport Police said Mr Zitouni was able to continue his recovery at home.
His family said: “We are so grateful for the outpouring of support from the public, and very touched by all the kind words about Sam’s brave actions on the night of the attack. While we are really happy to have him home, he still has a significant recovery ahead and we would now like to be left in privacy to care for him as a family.”
https://www.mirror.co.uk/news/uk-news/breaking-huntingdon-train-stabbing-suspect-36332716
Posted by OneNormalBloke
21 comments
This needs to stop. Criminals need to be forced to attend court.
You handcuff him / shackle him to a wheelchair if need be, and roll him into court.
It’s not hard, the criminals are already in custody, so there is no excuse, for someone to not attend court — unless they are completely incapacitated in the hospital, or some kind of extreme circumstance like that.
Straightjacket and gag if needs be.
Sick of this ‘we can’t force them’ namby pamby.
Another violent attacker created by cannabis use. How many more are we going to tolerate?
Everyone is entitled to a fair trial yes, but his refusal to attend court for a plea hearing along with the evidence available to hand should result in an automatic guilty plea.
A trial is wasting public resources.
Give it the epstein application
If he doesn’t attend, just find him guilty and sentence him, to 10 counts of attempted murder to run consecutively, the starting point is 30 years so he gets 300 years.
You dont turn up for Jury service you risk a fine, these wankers deserve another year on their sentence.
Oubliettes should make a come back.
Refuses ? Drag him kicking and screaming in a Hannibal Lecter sack cart and mask if necessary !
Just me or can we drag them in like they do in America?
The guy tried to kill 10 people and you’re allowing him to dictate if he can attend court? We really are living in a dream land.
I’m curious to see what details emerge from this, especially about the psychiatric report mentioned here. Because they were quick to tell us that it wasn’t terror-related, so OK, but we still don’t know what the actual motivation was.
It wasn’t even court, the article says a video link.
Admittedly I’m ignorant in this area but I don’t see how it should make a difference. If he refuses and the authorities can’t force him, proceed without him.
If its video link, just put the laptop in front of his cell door if he’s refusing to leave, then if he’s mouthing off to disrupt proceedings mute his mic. Why is this hard?
Sorry but drag them in. Of course we all want a Hannibal Lecter type scene but still, you should be forced to face your accuser/victim
I don’t really see the issue tbh, maybe I’m missing something?
If he’s not in court there isn’t going to be much of a defence. It seems like not showing up is going to make things worse for him but that’s his problem to worry about why should we care?
Rope is cheap
OK. Everyone in this thread seems to think
A) we have the American justice system here.
B) we live in an American film.
I’ve never read such nonsense. Shall we tell him to plead the fifth as well?
So he won’t attend court? And? They can do out of court proceedings for tv licensing….. why not for the 100 percent guilty mass stabber?
Drag the bastard in
Putting Officer’s lives at risk to force him to attend is stupid for people here to suggest. He will spit bite and kick as they try to restrain him and he’ll then screech go disrupt the trial even if he can’t move. People would end up getting hurt trying to do this, just let him stay in the cell and increase his sentence seeing as he’s not even willing to pretend to be civil.
We do not need to turn British courts into a circus like America, we do not need to tie people to a chair and wheel them out to gawk at.
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