A man who was waiting on the platform for the Huntingdon train opened up about how the terrifying event has left him sleepless and so sickened that he can’t eat on Monday’s episode of This Morning.
Transport For London worker Dean McFarlane appeared on the most recent episode of the ITV programme to talk to Ben Shephard, 50, and Cat Deeley, 49, about the incident that happened on Saturday night.
Train driver Andrew Johnson made an emergency stop at Huntingdon station in Cambridgeshire, ahead of the final destination of Kings Cross, at 7:41pm after a knifeman started attacking passengers in coach J.
Nine of the 11 injured people were left fighting for their lives – with five people discharged from hospital as of last night.
Dean was on the way into London for his nightshift, and luckily he was there as he knew what to do, kept people calm and moved them to safety with his work training.
Ben asked how he has been since the attack and if it’s been hard to process, to which Dean said: ‘It did bring in a little bit of shock at the time, but until I left the scene, when the police let me go, that it really did hit me.
A man who was waiting on the platform for the Huntingdon train opened up about how the terrifying event has left him not being able to sleep and so sickened that he can’t eat while on Monday’s episode of This Morning
Transport For London worker Dean McFarlane appeared on the most recent episode of the ITV programme to talk to Ben Shephard, 50, and Cat Deeley, 49, about the incident that happened on Saturday night
‘I live very close to Huntingdon station, as I walked away I felt really heavy, my legs turned to jelly, I felt sick.
‘I was confused, a bit disorientated, over the last few days my sleep has been broken.
‘I still get nervous, I’ve not got much of an appetite, even thought I wasn’t on the train and or affected anywhere near as badly as other people were, and like I say, I really do wish everyone the best.
‘It still plays on you, because what if I didn’t know what to do, what if I wasn’t aware of how to deal with this?
‘Would I have been frozen on the platform with everybody else? could there have been more casualties. It’s so unpredictable.
”Everything seems to happens so fast.
‘I was saying to reporters yesterday, before this incident took place, it was calm, it was quiet, there was nothing around.
‘I was stood outside the station thinking my train won’t be too long, I’ll enter the station and wait for my train.
Dean said: ‘I still get nervous, I’ve not got much of an appetite, even thought I wasn’t on the train and or affected anywhere near as badly as other people were, and like I say, I really do wish everyone the best’
‘As soon as I walked in, the train was already there.
‘If I had boarded the train, I contemplated boarding two or three minutes prior, I would have avoided it.
‘But I’m glad I stayed.’
He then explained what ‘got him’ from the terrifying ordeal, as well as warning people to be more vigilant.
Dean said: ‘I would say the hardest thing that got me, it was a little while, obviously I’m imagining at this point the suspect apprehended.
‘But a little while later while the emergency services were dealing with people, I spotted a young woman and her daughter, didn’t appear to be much older than my daughter, being attended to.
‘That really brought home the fact that anything can happen to anybody at any random time.
‘Sort of trying to put the message out here that people need to be vigilant at all times.
‘Don’t live in fear but be vigilant, be aware of your surroundings, learn what’s around you, if anything is to happen, get to a place of safety.’
It comes after a man accused of being the Huntingdon train knifeman was charged over another attack at a London station earlier that day.
Anthony Williams, 32, of Peterborough, has been charged with 11 counts of attempted earlier – including one which took place in the early hours of Saturday.
Police said today that a passenger was stabbed at Pontoon Dock DLR station in east London shortly after 12.45am on November 1.
It is understood the victim suffered facial injuries after being attacked with a knife.
Hours later, Williams is accused of going on a knife rampage on the high-speed 6:25pm LNER service from Doncaster to London’s King’s Cross.
Williams is due to appear at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court today. A van thought to be carrying him arrived at court earlier this morning.
Deputy Chief Constable Stuart Cundy of the British Transport Police said: ‘The criminal investigation and support for the victims is a priority.
‘Our investigation is also looking at other possible linked offences.’
This Morning airs weekdays on ITV1 from 10am and is available to stream on ITVX.
