Train attacker said 'I am the baddest', trial hears

Anthony Williams is accused of a series of attempted murders across three locations and two dates. The allegations began in Peterborough during the evening of 31 October. He is accused of trying to kill three people there before boarding a train towards London.

In the early hours of 1 November, Williams is accused of attacking Isaiah Idris on a Docklands Light Railway train in London. Later that day, he allegedly attacked 10 people on a London-bound train between Peterborough and Huntingdon, forcing an emergency stop at Huntingdon.

These allegations explain the 14 attempted-murder counts he denies. The trial is focusing on whether he meant to kill the people involved. The court has heard that carrying out the alleged attacks is not in question, but jurors must decide whether the required intent existed in each case.

The reported scale is 14 alleged victims and 14 attempted-murder charges. Ten people are named in connection with the London-bound train between Peterborough and Huntingdon. That train made an emergency stop at Huntingdon on 1 November.

The other allegations concern three people in Peterborough during the evening of 31 October and Isaiah Idris on a Docklands Light Railway train in London during the early hours of 1 November. Together, those allegations account for the 14 counts described in court.

Williams, who is 33 and from Peterborough, denies all 14 counts. The prosecution case concerns alleged attacks, but the central issue for jurors is intent. They must decide whether Williams intended to kill each person, rather than simply establish that violent incidents occurred.

Attempted murder is a serious criminal allegation that concerns an incomplete killing. It generally means a person intended to kill someone and took action towards doing so, but the victim survived. In this case, the alleged victims are described as people Williams tried to kill, not people who died.

Murder is different because the alleged killing is completed and the victim dies. For attempted murder, the court must examine both the defendant’s actions and what he meant to achieve. A dangerous act alone does not automatically establish an intention to kill.

That distinction matters in this trial because the court has heard that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question. Jurors must instead consider whether he intended to kill the individuals involved. Williams denies the 14 attempted-murder counts.

Intent matters because an attempted-murder case is about more than an alleged attack. Jurors must consider what the defendant meant to happen. They must decide whether the alleged conduct was intended to kill the person targeted.

The article states that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question. Instead, the jury must assess his intention towards the alleged victims. Evidence may include what he said, what he did, and the circumstances described by witnesses, although the article does not set out the prosecution’s full evidence on intent.

This issue shapes the trial and the verdict. Williams denies 14 counts of attempted murder, involving alleged incidents in Peterborough, London, and on the train near Huntingdon. The jury will have to consider the evidence separately against the legal question of intent.

Passengers described increasingly alarming behaviour on a train the night before the main attack. Keirah Lee-Oakman said a man mumbled to himself, walked through carriages, said “boom and power”, mentioned the devil, and acted aggressively. She texted the British Transport Police because she felt unsafe.

Abbie Harrison-Evans said a man shouted from the front, played spooky Halloween music, and repeatedly grabbed a black rucksack while saying, “I’m going to do it.” Ethan Daniels recalled hearing, “I am the baddest, no-one is as bad as me.” Harrison-Evans also messaged Daniels that they might be attacked.

Police attended Stevenage station after the report. The man dropped onto the tracks, and officers eventually decided it was unsafe to continue following him. The court heard these details as evidence about the behaviour before the later train attack.

When a defendant denies charges, the case proceeds as a contested trial. The prosecution presents evidence supporting the allegations, and the defence can challenge that evidence. The jury then considers the charges and reaches verdicts based on the evidence heard in court.

In this trial, the article says that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question. The disputed issue is intent. Jurors must decide whether the actions attributed to Williams were intended to kill the people allegedly attacked in Peterborough, London, and on the train near Huntingdon.

That makes witness accounts and other evidence important to the jury’s assessment. Passengers described Williams’s words and behaviour before the main attack, while Isaiah Idris described being injured on a DLR train. The trial continues, so the article does not report a verdict or final outcome.

The presumption of innocence places the burden of proof on the prosecution. A defendant begins the trial treated as not guilty. The court cannot convict simply because allegations are serious or because witnesses describe frightening events.

Prosecutors must present evidence that proves the legal elements of each charge. In this case, the article says the key issue is whether Williams intended to kill the people he allegedly attacked. The jury must consider that issue from the evidence, while Williams does not have to prove that he was innocent.

This principle shapes the jury’s task throughout the trial. Williams denies 14 counts involving incidents in Peterborough, London, and the London-bound train. The article reports that the trial is continuing, so the jury has not yet reached a verdict and the allegations remain allegations.