Anthony Williams, 33, pleaded guilty to 12 counts of wounding with intent and two counts of attempting to wound with intent during a pretrial hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Monday, October 19, 2026. Despite admitting to these violent offenses, Williams maintained his denials of 14 attempted murder charges ahead of a trial scheduled to begin on October 26.
The charges stem from a series of knife-related incidents across England, most notably a mass stabbing aboard a London-bound passenger train. Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC informed the court that the guilty pleas do not fully resolve the indictment. Consequently, the high-stakes trial will proceed as planned and is expected to last up to six weeks.
The November 2025 LNER Train Attack
The primary case centers on a violent rampage aboard an LNER service traveling from Doncaster to London King’s Cross on Saturday, November 1, 2025. Investigators report that multiple passengers and staff members were stabbed after the 6:25 p.m. service departed Peterborough. The emergency forced the train to make an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon railway station, where emergency crews and armed police met the transport.
During Monday’s proceedings before Mr Justice Calver, Williams appeared via video link from Rampton Hospital in Nottinghamshire. He wore a plain white T-shirt and spoke quietly to enter his pleas. His admissions cover injuries inflicted on ten individuals during the train service, as well as victims from related incidents in Peterborough and London.
Additional Charges and Prior Incidents
Alongside the wounding offenses tied to the train, Williams admitted to several other criminal charges spanning late October and early November 2025. These include:
- Affray at a barber shop in Peterborough on October 31.
- Theft of kitchen knives from an Asda store in Stevenage on October 31.
- Possession of a bladed article in public places, including Peterborough, Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London, and the LNER train.
- Assault occasioning actual bodily harm against a male police officer on November 2.
- Common assault on a Govia Thames Link train between London St Pancras and Biggleswade on November 1.
At previous hearings, Williams entered formal not-guilty pleas for the attempted murder of several specific individuals on the train, including Jonathan Gjoshe, Sachin Balakrishnan, David Presland, Scott Bletcher, Scott Green, Kevin Deely, Stephen Crean, Raza Aslam, Michael Paffett, and Samir Zitouni. He also continues to deny attempted murder charges connected to separate incidents in Peterborough and at Pontoon Dock DLR station.
Upcoming Trial Schedule
Mr Justice Calver confirmed that formal sentencing will be deferred until after the conclusion of the upcoming trial. The proceedings are expected to examine the remaining attempted murder allegations and run for approximately five to six weeks, starting Monday, October 26, 2026.
