Train crew member showed courage with frying pan during knife attack, court hears

A train crew member displayed sheer courage and bravery by using a frying pan to fend off a knifeman during a mass stabbing on a Doncaster to London King's Cross train. Cambridge Crown Court viewed CCTV footage on Thursday showing Samir Zitouni using the pan against the attacker before the train made an unscheduled stop in Huntingdon on 1 November 2025. Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC told jurors that thirty-three-year-old Anthony Williams of Langford Road, Peterborough, denies attempting to murder 10 people on the train, three people in Peterborough the previous day, and a boy at a London railway station. The trial focuses on whether Williams intended to kill the victims, as the attacks themselves are not in question. Paxton described the assault on Zitouni as prolonged, persistent, and brutal, noting that Zitouni told the defendant they loved him and could help him. Footage captured Zitouni wearing a blood-soaked shirt as one of the last people leaving the train, during which he fell into the gap between the train and the platform. Medical evidence revealed both of Zitouni's lungs were punctured, requiring four blood transfusions, chest drains, and ventilator assistance. The court heard passenger Raza Aslam initially grabbed a frying pan before being stabbed in the hand by Williams. Paxton stated Zitouni began throwing objects at the defendant to save Aslam's life. Aslam told police Williams looked as though he was high and loved seeing passengers in desperation, with the greatest delight on his face. Hand-to-hand fighting occurred on the train, leaving Sachin Balakrishnan with a punctured lung and a stab wound to the forearm and chest that missed his heart by centimetres. Scott Green also feared for his life when targeted three times, but Paxton said Green's dog Poppy intervened and caused the defendant to run off, noting Williams had previously been bitten by a dog in an unrelated incident. Jurors also learned about an attack on seventy-three-year-old David Presland, who was stabbed in the back while on his hands and knees and aided by someone believed to be Kevin Deely, another alleged attempted murder victim.

Context

This trial examines intent in a series of violent stabbings that took place across a train journey and railway stations in late 2025. Courts evaluate such cases by examining physical evidence, witness statements, and CCTV footage to determine whether a defendant possessed the specific intent required for attempted murder charges.