Anthony Williams, 33, the man accused of a mass stabbing on a train traveling from Doncaster to London, has been charged with actual bodily harm for an alleged assault that occurred weeks before the train incident. The new charge relates to an alleged random attack on Ricky Butcher, 36, in Peterborough on September 27. Butcher reportedly sustained facial injuries requiring 15 stitches.
The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) launched an inquiry into the initial assault case in January after Butcher complained that Cambridgeshire Police had closed the case, stating there was insufficient evidence to make an arrest likely. The IOPC announced that two constables will face gross misconduct hearings. One officer is accused of failing to conduct appropriate inquiries and of concealing this failure by falsely claiming no CCTV was available and including inaccurate information in a crime report. The second officer is accused of assisting in concealing the actions.
Cambridgeshire Constabulary confirmed that Williams was charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm on April 24, while the IOPC inquiry was ongoing. Details of this charge emerged this week.
Williams faces ten attempted murder counts in relation to the train attack on November 1, where numerous passengers were injured. The train made an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon railway station at 7:44 p.m. Armed police responded rapidly to the scene. Williams was also charged with three additional attempted murder counts related to separate incidents. These include an alleged attack on a passenger at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London on November 1, and incidents on a footbridge and in a car park in Peterborough on October 31, involving a 14-year-old boy and William Ogelby, 22, respectively. An attempted wounding charge is also filed in connection with an alleged assault on Dawid Taborski, 28, on the same footbridge. Additional charges include affray at a Peterborough barber's and the theft of kitchen knives on October 31.
Victims of the train attack include Nottingham Forest fan Stephen Crean, 61, who allegedly intervened to protect other passengers, Scunthorpe United player Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, 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.
A court hearing in February indicated that Williams was psychotic and had been transferred to a psychiatric intensive care unit. A subsequent hearing on April 14 was informed that Williams was fit to plead, but his trial, originally scheduled for June 22, has been postponed to October 26 to allow for further psychiatric assessments. A case management hearing is scheduled for tomorrow.