Anthony Williams, 33, who is accused of a mass stabbing on a train traveling from Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross, has been charged with actual bodily harm for a separate alleged assault that occurred weeks prior to the train incident. This new charge relates to an alleged unprovoked attack on Ricky Butcher, 36, in Peterborough on September 27.
Butcher reported suffering facial injuries that required 15 stitches. The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an inquiry into the case in January after Butcher complained that Cambridgeshire Police had closed his case shortly after the incident, stating insufficient evidence for an arrest. The IOPC announced that two constables will face gross misconduct hearings over the matter. One officer is accused of failing to conduct appropriate inquiries and for allegedly concealing this failure by falsely claiming no CCTV was available and including inaccurate information in a crime report. The second constable is implicated in concealing the initial failure.
Williams was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on April 24, while the IOPC investigation was ongoing. Details of this charge emerged this week.
The alleged assault on Butcher occurred about a month before the November 1 train attack, where numerous passengers were injured. Williams faces ten attempted murder charges in connection with the Huntingdon train incident. He also faces other charges, including three additional attempted murder counts related to separate incidents. These include an alleged attack on a passenger at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London on November 1, attempted murder charges concerning incidents in Peterborough on October 31—including one on a 14-year-old boy and another on William Ogelby, 22—and an attempted wounding charge for an alleged assault on Dawid Taborski, 28. He also faces charges of affray and theft of kitchen knives from an Asda store in Stevenage on October 31.
Among those Williams is accused of attacking on the train were Stephen Crean, 61, a Nottingham Forest fan, and rail buffet worker Samir Zitouni, 48. Zitouni reportedly used a frying pan from the galley kitchen to defend himself and allow passengers to escape.
In February, a court hearing revealed that Williams was psychotic and had been transferred to a psychiatric intensive care unit. A subsequent hearing on April 14 indicated he was fit to plead, but his trial date was deferred pending further psychiatric assessments. The trial, originally scheduled for June 22, is now expected to begin on October 26, with a case management hearing set for tomorrow.