Police are examining whether the man accused of stabbing 10 people on a London-bound LNER train is connected to a separate stabbing of a 14-year-old and two reports of a knifeman at a Peterborough barbers’ shop. Cambridgeshire Police said it is reviewing those incidents after the knife attack on the train as it passed through Peterborough on Saturday.
Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed abode, has been charged with 10 counts of attempted murder in relation to the train incident and faces an additional attempted murder charge linked to an attack in London on Saturday. A separate incident at about 00:45 at a Silvertown station left a man with facial injuries, which is the London incident being reviewed alongside the Peterborough cases.
Cambridgeshire Police said a crime report was raised and investigations opened in all three incidents. The force is reviewing events in the relevant timeframe to determine whether any further offences may be linked. British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation and are leading work that will include the Peterborough incidents.
On Friday evening at about 19:10, a 14-year-old boy was stabbed in Peterborough city centre. He was treated at Peterborough City Hospital for minor injuries and later discharged. Officers and a police dog searched the area at the time but the offender had already left and was not identified.
Also on Friday evening a man was seen carrying a knife in a barbers’ shop in the Fletton area of Peterborough. The incident reportedly occurred at about 19:25 but was not reported to police until 21:10; by then the man had left and officers were not dispatched. The same barbers’ shop called police again at 09:25 on Saturday to report a man with a knife on the premises. Officers arrived within 18 minutes, searched the area and were unable to locate or identify the individual.
Cambridgeshire Police have referred themselves to the Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC), as is common in such cases, but the IOPC has said it will not conduct a separate investigation because the referral did not meet the threshold for a valid case.
Several people were injured in the train attack at about 20:00 GMT on Saturday while the service ran from Doncaster to London King’s Cross. Among those hurt were Scunthorpe United footballer Jonathan Gjoshe, 22, who was slashed across the bicep and underwent an operation, and Nottingham Forest supporter Stephen Crean. Mr Crean has been praised for confronting the attacker, saying he “tussled” with him after being slashed on the head and hand, and that his intervention helped other passengers secure the buffet car.
Political leaders and officials have paid tribute to the swift action of staff and passengers. Prime Minister Sir Keir Starmer praised the “heroic” response of members of staff onboard the train, saying their collective bravery saved lives. Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood also commended the “breathtaking bravery” of passengers and crew; she highlighted a member of train staff who ran towards the attacker and helped stop him advancing through the train.
MPs also singled out the train driver, Andrew Johnson, a former Royal Navy officer, whose quick decision-making helped. Mr Johnson contacted the control room and arranged for the train to be diverted from the fast to the slow line so it could stop at Huntingdon, allowing emergency services faster access. He said emergency procedures and route knowledge helped him take the correct action and praised his colleagues on board as the real heroes.
British Transport Police are coordinating the broader investigation with support from Cambridgeshire officers as inquiries continue into the train attack and the possible connections to the Peterborough incidents.
