Court told Huntingdon train knifeman was 'suffering from schizophrenia'
The jury at the trial of a man accused of stabbing 10 people on a London-bound train has heard he appeared to be talking to himself and laughing in the back of a police vehicle, and was later recorded as hearing voices in a cell
Anthony Williams, 33, denies attempting to murder 10 people on an LNER service that was brought to an unscheduled stop at Huntingdon on November 1st last year.
He also denies the attempted murder of three people in Peterborough on October 31, and of a 17-year-old boy at Pontoon Dock DLR station in London in the early hours of November 1.
Mr Justice Calver has told jurors at Cambridge Crown Court that whether Williams carried out the attacks is not in question. They must decide whether he intended to kill.
PC Caitlin Brown said she heard Williams "talking about the devil and the word evil" as he was driven to custody.
She said he "appeared to be talking to himself" and added: "I could see at one point he was laughing." Asked if he was okay, his response was: "Excellent."
When they arrived, Ms Brown said, Williams "leant forward to me and said something like 'do you think it was worth it'."
The court heard that Williams was seen jumping on the toilet and stroking an air vent in his cell at Parkside Police Station in Cambridge.
Custody sergeant James Cox was questioned about the custody logs by defence barrister Gillian Jones KC. She said Williams was observed "jumping on the toilet and seeming to interfere with the vent". Mr Cox said: "That's correct."
Ms Jones said another officer noted Williams "seemed to be feeling the walls of his cell". He had also been checking the peephole and "had again been climbing on this toilet several times and stroking the air vent", she said. Mr Cox agreed.
A note from a healthcare worker in the logs said Williams "appeared to be responding to voices".
According to the log, Williams laughed and agreed when asked if he was hearing any. Asked what the voices were saying, "he smiled and said 'lots of things'", Ms Jones told the court.
She said Williams was assessed at the time as not fit for interview.
Ms Jones asked Mr Cox whether it had been reported to him that Williams suffered from psychosis. He replied: "I believe so, yes."
She asked whether he had been told Williams took medication. Again, he answered: "I believe so, yes."
Ms Jones said Mr Cox had spoken to the arresting officers and "had been informed by them that Mr Williams suffers from schizophrenia". Mr Cox replied: "Yes."
Prosecutor Christopher Paxton KC pointed out that Mr Cox had answered "no" on the custody form to the question: "Does the detainee have or appear to have difficulties understanding or communicating effectively?"
Williams was arrested in a car park at Huntingdon train station shortly after the train was stopped. The court heard that officers used a Taser, and that he was hit in the groin by a round fired from a baton gun.
The trial continues.