In a dramatic courtroom account, a football fan recounted how he tried to stop a knife-wielding man accused of attempting to murder 10 people on a train. Stephen Crean described the attacker as being "on a mission" during the incident, which forced the London-bound service to make an emergency stop in Huntingdon, Cambridgeshire, on 1 November last year.

A Struggle on the Train

Cambridge Crown Court heard how Crean, wearing Nottingham Forest clothing, grappled with Anthony Williams after Williams allegedly pulled out a large kitchen knife and asked, "Do you want to die?" Crean said the struggle was "like Come Dancing, we were all over the place." He managed to lock himself in a toilet and call 999, later emerging only when he heard police radios.

Williams, 33, of Langford Road in Peterborough, denies 10 counts of attempted murder on the York to London King's Cross LNER service, as well as four other alleged attempted murders in earlier incidents in Peterborough and London.

Earlier Incidents

Prosecutors allege that on 31 October, Williams tried to kill three people in Peterborough, and in the early hours of 1 November, he attempted to murder a teenager on a DLR train in east London. The court has heard that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question, but jurors must decide whether he intended to kill.

Crean's testimony provided a vivid account of the chaos. He described how a young girl ran past him screaming about a "man with a knife, big knife." He then heard the carriage doors open and knew the man was coming. After Williams allegedly produced the knife, Crean said people struggled to shut the buffet door, but once it clicked shut, he went towards Williams to stop him from using the knife.

"I went to stop him, stop him from using that knife, that was the whole point of it," Crean said. He suffered cuts to his fingers as Williams twisted and turned the blade. At one point, Crean's phone went flying, and Williams told him to "get your phone."

After the struggle, Crean locked himself in the toilet, smiled, and made a rude gesture at Williams before closing the door. He then called 999, something he said he had probably never done before.

When asked about Williams's demeanour, Crean said: "100% he was fine, he looked normal, he was just on a mission, he didn't seem angry."

The trial continues.