Copyright birminghammail
Officers may have missed FOUR opportunities to apprehend the suspected Huntingdon train knifeman, it has emerged today. Cambridgeshire Police acknowledged it had responded to three separate incidents in Peterborough before Saturday evening's assault, which left ten people seriously wounded. The force conceded that officers failed to attend the scene on one occasion. Metropolitan Police were also summoned to investigate a stabbing in the early hours before the train attack, but no arrests were made. Cambridgeshire Police has referred itself to the police watchdog, the IOPC. The disclosures surfaced just hours after Anthony Williams, 32, of no fixed address, appeared before magistrates charged with eleven counts of attempted murder. In a statement, Cambridgeshire Police revealed that at 7.10pm on Friday (Oct 31) a 14 year old was stabbed by a man wielding a knife in Peterborough city centre. Despite searches by officers and a police dog, the perpetrator evaded capture, police confirmed. The force indicated the stabbing, which left the victim with minor injuries, could potentially be connected to the attacks on the Doncaster to London service on Saturday. Merely 15 minutes afterwards at 7.25pm, a knifeman entered Ritzy's barber shop in Fletton, Peterborough, brandishing a large kitchen knife. Cambridgeshire Police stated "at the time of reporting the man was no longer there and had not returned, so we did not send officers". In the early hours of the following morning (Nov 1), a victim sustained facial injuries after being assaulted with a knife at 12.46am on a train at Pontoon Dock station on the Docklands Light Railway (DLR) in east London. It was later reported that the individual wielding the knife had returned to a barbershop in Peterborough at 9.25am that same day, according to Cambridgeshire Police. Despite police arriving at the scene just 18 minutes later, they were unable to locate the man with the knife. Cambridgeshire Police today stated that it is reviewing all incidents in Peterborough " to understand whether there were any further potential offences." In a statement, it said: "British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents. We voluntarily referred ourselves to the IOPC for independent scrutiny of these incidents, as is standard practice in these cases." Earlier today, the owner of Ritzy's barber shop confirmed that a man had brandished a knife in the store on Friday evening, which had been reported to the police. Footage shows him bending down to pick up a large kitchen knife from the floor and then waving it around. Staff can be seen quickly moving away from the man with the knife. Approximately 24 hours later, a man named Williams is accused of attacking passengers on an LNER service from Doncaster to London's King's Cross after he boarded at Peterborough. The owner of the shop, who requested anonymity, said he believed the man who entered his business was indeed Williams. He revealed that he had contacted the police but did not disclose what transpired afterwards. The barbershop, situated less than a mile from Peterborough station where Williams boarded the train, will remain shut this week. In the shocking CCTV footage, a man believed to be Williams is seen sipping from a small bottle, clad in a black coat with his hood up. The man is then captured picking up a large kitchen knife and brandishing it as staff hastily move out of the way. This morning, a police car was spotted outside William's residence in Peterborough. Residents on Langford Road in Peterborough described Williams' family home as 'quiet', stating they didn't see much of him. There was no response from the three-bedroom semi-detached house in Fletton, Peterborough, where Williams is believed to have resided. Williams made an appearance at Peterborough Magistrates' Court this morning. He faces charges of 10 counts of attempted murder, one count of actual bodily harm and one count of possession of a bladed article in Cambridgeshire. Additionally, Williams has been charged with one count of attempted murder in London in the early hours of Saturday (Nov 1) and possession of a bladed article in relation to the incident. He has been remanded in custody to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1. A spokesperson for Cambridgeshire Police stated: "British Transport Police retain primacy for the overall investigation, which will include these three incidents. "We voluntarily referred ourselves to the IOPC for independent scrutiny of these incidents, as is standard practice in these cases. ".
