“Finally they all got into the buffet car and into the bathrooms and locked the doors, as they do, and that was it for me.”
Hearing the screams of the injured passengers, Crean walked through the buffet car to the car where the man had launched his attack and came face to face with him in the hallway.
Crean said the attacker was over 185 centimeters tall, was wearing a gray tracksuit, had short Afro-style hair and spoke with a London or south-east accent.
The attacker seemed “quite in a bad mood, quite angry”
A door to the buffet car, where other passengers were hiding, was closed behind him as they fought, potentially preventing dozens of other injuries.
He recalled: “He could see someone on the ground behind him with what looked like blood.
“He was getting closer and closer to me, so I backed up a little bit more. He went up, up. And by that time, I was back in the buffet car, but they were making sure the door was locked. I heard a click and that’s when it started moving.
‘I did my part. I did my best, that’s all I could do. I’m not a troublemaker. I have never been involved in trouble in my life. But if someone came here and started with you, I’ll try.
Stephen Crean
“He just seemed pretty moody, pretty angry. He was on a mission. He knew what he wanted to do and he was going to do it.
“And then all of a sudden a knife came out and I went right at him. I tried to punch him, this and that. I was trying to hold his arm. [with his knife]. Began. But it hit me in the head.”
Crean said he was stabbed in the left hand, three times in the back, once in the buttocks and twice in the head.
The BBC obtained an image of Anthony Williams in Peterborough the night before the alleged train attack.Credit: bbc
“I just tried to stop him and keep the knife away, but he caught me. He hit me a lot on my left hand, three times on the back, once on the butt and twice on the head. I was bleeding a lot,” he added.
“It all happened very quickly, and then he came back the other way and then headed to the buffet car. [where passengers were sheltering]but the door was already closed.
“I think my phone had fallen on the floor, so I picked it up and went the other way,” he continued.
Lying on the ground while losing blood.
He said he found an empty bathroom and closed the door before lying on the floor while losing blood. About 10 minutes later, he opened the door and found armed police officers pointing guns at him.
Charging
“I snuck into a bathroom. One of them was very empty. So I went in there and he came back to get me, but by then he had already locked the door. So I went to bed because by then I was feeling a little panting and tired, and I was losing blood. It must have been about 10 minutes.
“But then there was big banging and kicking and shouting outside, and it was armed police. They came on board, I said my name and said, ‘Yes, Stephen, you can open the door.’ But even when I opened the door, they were pointing the gun at me to make sure it was me, and I hadn’t raised my voice.
“Luckily we were on the platform [in Huntingdon] By then, that allowed me to go down. They opened the door just for me and it was smart. They didn’t open the entire train; otherwise, it will be free.”
Paramedics treated Crean, gave him a foil blanket and took him by ambulance to Addenbrooke’s Hospital in Cambridge. His wounds were bandaged and stitched and he was discharged at 6 a.m. on Sunday.
When asked why he ran into danger to confront the attacker, he said: “I don’t think there was any other option. It just didn’t occur to me not to do it.
Stephen Crean: “I did my part. I did my best, that’s all I could do.”Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
“My motive was to protect people. I think it’s in my blood. I’ll always do that. I was scared, but then it went away. Just do whatever. Just move on.”
Crean is now taking medication to protect against possible HIV infection after the attacker reportedly used the same knife on several victims.
“Because it’s a deep stab, they told me I needed special pills because I could get AIDS and things like that,” he said.
Crean suffered multiple injuries in Saturday’s attack.Credit: PA Images via Getty Images
When asked if he is a hero, he said: “A woman messaged me on Facebook and said, ‘You probably saved my daughter’s life.’ I’ve gotten that message before and I never get emotional, but it affected me.
“I’m not brave. There will be people braver than me. The train guard, the police and then the guys who took me off the train. And the poor train guard who was stabbed and is still there.” [hospital] now. Oh my god, there are more people out there than me. It’s them, you know.
“I did my part. I did my best, that’s all I could do. I’m not a troublemaker. I’ve never been in trouble in my life. I’m not a fighter. I don’t do that kind of thing. But if someone comes here and starts with you, I’ll try, even if I can’t use my left hand.”
The Telegraph, London
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