Boy, 14, Stabbed While Trick-or-Treating Attests to Attacker's 'Eyes Wide Open'

A 14-year-old boy, who was stabbed while trick-or-treating on Halloween, testified in court that his assailant stared at him with his "eyes wide open" before attacking him with a knife. The incident, which occurred on a footbridge over the River Nene in Peterborough, Cambridgeshire, was the first of 14 assaults perpetrated by Anthony Williams, 33, during a weekend rampage that concluded with ten stabbings on a train.

Cambridge Crown Court has heard that Williams admits to 12 charges of wounding with intent and two of attempted wounding with intent, but denies 14 counts of attempted murder. The boy, who cannot be named for legal reasons, described in a police interview how he was with a friend when Williams "just pulled out a knife and stabbed me." The pair fled and hid until police arrived after they called emergency services.

According to the boy's account, Williams pulled a ten-inch black knife from his waistband and screamed, "Are you involved, are you involved?" The boy stated, "His eyes were wide open, like he was on something. I don't think he was well." He added that the force of the blow to his chest was "strong – it pushed me back a bit. He was using his full force."

Jurors have been told of the subsequent attacks the following day, when Williams boarded an LNER train service from Doncaster to London. During this journey, he moved through multiple carriages, attacking passengers with a knife and causing grievous injuries. Some passengers and a train worker, Samir Zitouni, attempted to intervene. Zitouni reportedly used a frying pan and a toaster in a "defensive blockade" against Williams. Footage played in court showed Williams staggering down the platform in a blood-soaked shirt after the train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire.

Another passenger, Stephen Crean, unarmed, reportedly approached Williams after being asked, "Do you want to die?" Crean was stabbed multiple times. Some passengers reported Williams rambling about "the devil" and "power," and warning, "Everyone's gonna die today."

Car delivery driver Raza Aslam described seeing "the greatest delight on his face, I saw his eyes expand with pleasure." The court heard that before boarding the train in his hometown of Peterborough, Williams was seen clutching a "large kitchen knife and a bottle of fortified tonic wine."

During the train assault, passengers fled in terror, hiding in toilets and under seats. Some attempted to defend themselves and others, showing "extraordinary bravery." Despite these efforts, Williams continued his knife attacks. The "bloody onslaught" ended when the train driver arranged an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon station. Williams was arrested by armed police, who deployed a taser. He was taken to a hospital for assessment before being taken to a police station in Cambridge. While in custody, he admitted to punching a police officer, an offense for which he has also pleaded guilty.

Prosecutor Chris Paxton KC informed the jury that Williams has "some mental health issues which may or may not become relevant during this trial." However, the prosecution argued that Williams was "functioning, responding and reactive to those around him," citing an instance where he told a passenger he had just attacked, "I don’t want you behind me."

"There is no issue in this case as to who is responsible for these attacks," Mr. Paxton stated. "The defendant accepts he carried out these attacks. The issue in this case, so far as the attempted murder counts are concerned, relates primarily to the defendant's intention – whether he had an intention to kill as we, the prosecution, say he had."

The trial is ongoing.