Huntingdon MP Ben Obese-Jecty has described as “unfair” a report by The Times newspaper that police could have caught the suspect in train stabbing horror 24 hours earlier after he allegedly pulled a knife out in a Peterborough barber’s shop.
The MP, on social media, said: “This is unfair from The Times. Police were not called until 90 minutes after the barber shop incident occurred.
“But it should also be noted that whilst Cambridgeshire is the fastest growing county, Cambridgeshire Constabulary is the fourth worst funded of our 43 police forces.”
He added: “I have raised this directly with the Home Office on multiple occasions and last year held an entire debate on it. Until the Government address the Police Allocation Formula and give forces like Cambridgeshire the funding it needs, they will continue to be under-resourced.”
The MP has been widely praised for his support of the emergency services during Saturday’s attack at Huntingdon station and for keeping constituents updated throughout Sunday.
“Within my own role I have been liaising with Cambridgeshire Constabulary and Home Office ministers in order to ensure that I am fully briefed and able to ensure that reporting is accurate and that the brave efforts of our first responders are recognised,” he posted to social media.
“Over the course of Sunday morning I spoke to all the major television and radio broadcasters from Huntingdon Station, conducting 18 interviews for domestic and overseas broadcasters and ensuring that current information was being reported.
“My thoughts remain with the LNER staff member who is still fighting for their life in Addenbrooke Hospital’s Intensive Care Unit. I hope that they pull through, and that all those injured in the attack make a full recovery.
“If any constituents require support at this difficult time, please do not hesitate to contact me.”
Tributes in Parliament to emergency services and rail staff
In Parliament on Monday, he said: “I would like to place on the record my praise for the emergency services’ response: to Cambridgeshire Constabulary, whose unarmed response officers and firearms officers were able to place Anthony Williams in custody within eight minutes of receiving the 999 call.
“And to Cambridgeshire fire and rescue service, our air ambulance services, and the East of England ambulance trust for their incident response and for getting the casualties to Addenbrooke’s hospital.
“I also praise the train driver, Andrew Johnson, and the signalling staff, whose speed of thought in moving the train on to the suburban line from the high-speed line meant that the train could make the unscheduled stop at Huntingdon—a decision that curtailed the attack by several crucial minutes, that allowed the police to apprehend the suspect and that undoubtedly saved lives.
“The swift action of all those involved prevented a horrific attack from being far, far worse. I am sure that the Home Secretary, and indeed the whole House, would wish to share in my sympathies for those impacted by this horrific attack, and in my pride in the conduct, leadership and professionalism of the responders and railway staff.”
Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood praised Mr Obese-Jecty “for his own work over the weekend. He was very quick to arrive at the scene. I thought that he handled himself with great honour and that he responded in a measured way to such a horrifying incident in his constituency.
“The way he has handled himself is a credit to him and to the people he represents. Of course, I agree with his remarks about the bravery of all those who were responding, the speed of the response and the bravery of those inside the train. Let me assure him that my officials and I stand ready to work with him and others locally on the ground to ensure that all lessons are learned as we move forward.”
Mayor Bristow raises questions about suspect’s movements
Paul Bristow, the Mayor of Cambridgeshire and Peterborough and a former MP for Peterborough, has also praised police and the emergency services for a “brilliant job on Saturday evening”.
However, in a series of posts on X (formerly Twitter) and on his Facebook account, Mr Bristow says there are questions that still need answering.
He wrote: “As more information has been released about this individual (the alleged attacked)- there are some questions that the authorities should answer at the appropriate time.
“Had Anthony Williams (the man arrested and charged) had any recent contact with local NHS or council services – and/or the police/prison service?
“Had British Transport Police identified him in connection to the attempted murder at Pontoon Dock prior to the attack on the train towards Huntingdon?
“If they did, had BTP shared information or images with Cambridgeshire Constabulary and/or other police forces?
“Is Williams linked to the stabbing of a 14-year-old on Friday in Peterborough? If so, was he identified as the suspect at the time?
“Why did it take the Police some 18 minutes to get to the second incident at the barbers in Fletton, given a knife was involved and he had been reported at the premises the night before?
“Were the ticket barriers in operation at Peterborough Station on the 3 occasions that he appears to have used it – and did Williams buy a ticket?”.
Responding to comments on social media, Mr Bristow insisted: “I am not blaming anybody. I am asking valid questions after speaking with the authorities.”
Peterborough MP Andrew Pakes also spoke in the Commons on Monday about the attack.
“The names of Peterborough and the town of the constituency of the hon. Member for Huntingdon (Ben Obese-Jecty) have flashed across the news here and around the world this weekend because of the terrible events of Saturday night.
“I do not want my constituency to be known just because of the acts of a single perpetrator, so may I put on record my tribute to the police, the train staff, the first responders and others who stepped forward when actions were needed.
“I pay particular tribute to my constituent, train driver Andrew Johnson, and his ASLEF and RMT colleagues on LNER, who went beyond the call of duty on that evening. They showed the best of British values, and the true face of the county I represent and its people.”
He added: “We do not know all the information yet, but there is great anxiety in Huntingdon and Peterborough, and this is also a national issue.”
He called on the Home Secretary to “go the extra mile to tackle knife crime and ensure that our streets and public transport remain safe for everyone for years to come”.
The Home Secretary, responding, explained that Mr Pakes “made contact with me and my officials very quickly after the attack came to light, and, like other Members, he is an assiduous constituency Member of Parliament.
“I am sure that he will do everything he can to stand up for the people he represents and ensure that the wider area is not tainted by the actions of the attacker. He is absolutely right to remind the House that we should remember the acts not of the attacker, but of those who responded, they put themselves in harm’s way to protect people they had never met before, and they are the very best of us.
“I pay tribute to all the staff on the train, because they were faced with something utterly horrifying, reacted with immense bravery, and undoubtedly saved countless lives.”
Picture by Terry Harris.
Sam Carling, the MP for NW Cambridgeshire, also spoke in Parliament on Monday, and he, too, praised the first responders, the police “and everyone on the train who put their lives at risk to protect others.
“So many people from the communities I represent in both Peterborough and Huntingdonshire have written to me today in absolute fear, shock and confusion at how this could have happened so close to home, particularly after we found out this morning that the charged individual is from my constituency.
“Constituents have also been worried and alarmed about reports over the last few hours that the offender may have been involved in further incidents in Peterborough and London. “
He invited the Home Secretary to join him in calling for community cohesion following this incident and ensure that a full investigation takes place into those possible other offences.
Responding to a question from Steve Barclay, the MP for NE Cambridgeshire, the Home Secretary said: “The British Transport police is preparing a pilot of live facial recognition technology at selected railway stations in London, which will run for a period of six months. The exact dates will be public in due course.”
