Man accused of mass stabbing on train refuses to attend court - and will stand trial next year
A man accused of a mass stabbing on a train in Cambridgeshire and separate attacks earlier that day and the day before faces a trial next year, following a court hearing that took place in his absence.
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Anthony Williams, 32, is charged with 10 counts of attempted murder after several people were stabbed on an LNER train from Doncaster to London on the evening of November 1.
He did not attend Monday's hearing at Cambridge Crown Court.
Williams, who said at an earlier hearing at Peterborough Magistrates' Court that he is of no fixed abode, is also charged with assault occasioning actual bodily harm over an alleged attack of a male police officer in custody.
He is also charged with possession of a bladed article on November 1.
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Separately, Williams is charged with one count of attempted murder and possession of a bladed article over an incident at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of November 1, where a victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.
At Monday's hearing, the case was joined together with a set of seven further charges, forming an indictment with a total of 21 counts.
Williams is charged with the attempted murders of a 14-year-old boy and a 22-year-old man, and the attempted wounding of a 28-year-old man, in Peterborough on October 31.
He is also charged with affray at a barbershop in Peterborough on October 31, and the theft of a pack of knives from an Asda store in Stevenage on October 31.
Williams is charged with the assault of a man on a King's Cross to Peterborough train on November 1.
He is also charged with possessing a bladed article in a public place at a footbridge near Henry Penn Walk, the Rail World car park and Queen's Walk, all in Peterborough, on October 31.
Judge Mark Bishop said a further hearing will take place at Cambridge Crown Court on January 28, and he set a provisional trial date of June 22 2026.
Williams remains in custody.