Multiple stabbings on train Huntingdon

The arrest has now taken place of Anthony Williams. The most concerning thing is he had already attacked someone on a train on Saturday morning. If he’d been arrested then this horrific incident could have been avoided.

I agree Wyllow3 - Mental ill health is something that can affect anyone, there's a lot of misconceptions about cause and treatment etc. As you say the media stoke the flames, as they do with many subjects.

My response wasn't specifically aimed at you growstuff, and if detained either voluntarily or under section, inpatients are still permitted "leave", unescorted as well as with staff.

I think it’s actually a valuable conversation as personal medical details are unlikely to be released .

I’m at a motorway service station and have surveyed the papers. Most headlines from the oh so predictable red tops have words to the effect of ‘devil incarnate’ in the headlines.

Appalling.
Now many with a serious MH condition is going to be smeared with it when as pointed out, many live a good life and work.

Just cheered a moment ago. WH Smith have a charity option when paying, and it is MIND. I said I supported it strongly and the assistant said I do too. I said it’s not talked about enough and she said clearly from the heart no it wasn’t and it should be.

Then we get ‘the devil incarnate’.

What is in their heads. These headline writers? 😡

RockingGrandma You haven't burst my bubble. I didn't deny that people with paranoid schizophrenia and living in the community could use public transport. At all times, I was referring to those who are detained on either a voluntary or compulsory basis.

I worked in mental health services, and I hate to burst your bubble, but I had many clients who had Paranoid Schizophrenia who were living in the community, and able to travel on public transport on their own. This was 15 or so years ago, and since then mental health services are under even more pressure, without enough inpatient beds. I have a friend who’s daughter is very unwell with MH problems, and in an ideal world would be hospitalised for treatment, but is living on her own in her flat, with very little professional support, but highly medicated- unless she chooses to stop her meds that is. Am only writing this to bring some reality into the discussion around MH services - in the latest report re the attacker there is no mention of him having MH problems, and speculation really doesn’t help. My thoughts are with the victims, especially the train employee who apparently put himself in danger to protect others, and anyone else affected by this awful event, I cannot imagine it.

Thank you Doodledog, although I expect something will be released soon. I'm fairly sure that actual medical details are private and can't be released.

Apparently (according to Facebook and a photo to prove it), he was seen in a barbers in Peterborough that morning, brandishing a knife. The poster claimed that he reported the incident to the police, but nothing happened. It could be a hoax, but if it's true, the police are going to be in the spotlight.

growstuff

surfsup

Yes known to have mental health issues and known to authorities. Gives a lie to those insisting someone with violent tendancies wouldn’t be allowed to travel on a train. I actually wonder which world some inhabit.

I seriously can't find anything about his mental health history.

FWIW I have asked ChatGPT and this is what they said:

Details of the suspect’s background (mental health, previous history, etc) have not been fully disclosed.

Take that as you will.

surfsup

Yes known to have mental health issues and known to authorities. Gives a lie to those insisting someone with violent tendancies wouldn’t be allowed to travel on a train. I actually wonder which world some inhabit.

You misunderstood what people were saying surfsup. The only people with mental health disorders who don’t live in the community are those who are in hospital or prison. Most, not all of that group will be acutely ill, and/or subject to a detention order, and it is unlikely that somebody with a detention order would be on a train.

A 32-year-old man has been charged with ten counts of attempted murder following the Huntingdon train attack.

so much supposition on here! making stories out of nothing!

other man released no charge

The 32 year old knifeman has just been named and charged according to BBC News.

Yesterday the BBC announced via their web page that the two men arrested were British nationals, no other details given, at least an hour or so after the announcement by Police Superintendent (?) John Loveless giving full details of age , sex and ethnicity.
.

Grandmabatty

It appears that the perpetrator had a long history of mental ill health as reported by BBC this morning. I'm reporting this not as an excuse for him, but as an attempt to veer people away from the terrorist and immigrant slant.

Sadly adult mental health services are now so cut to the bone that many fall through the cracks in the system

Grandmabatty

It was me. I heard it on radio three, I'm sure. It's not the kind of thing I would make up, honestly

I'm sure you wouldn't, but it's strange that it's not on the main BBC news page.

Said it before, will say it again. Nobody chooses depression.

I lingered on it deliberately: mental health or illness is not often discussed so openly, and the lack of funding:

Yet I am prepared to venture that nearly every gransnetter either experiences aspects of it during their lives, or has family experience, or has worked in the field; this is a call, through a sadly appalling incident, to "speak up, speak out, demand more funding"

It can still be cloaked in shame or people say ludicrous things like

"they should just pull themselves together"

or once I recall reading unchallenged in GN a poster who wrote of those with depression would be magically better and ready to work if they

"go and work a healthy day outdoors"

🙄

It was me. I heard it on radio three, I'm sure. It's not the kind of thing I would make up, honestly

It is perfectly reasonable to discuss those issues Wyllow. We have no idea yet whether there were failures or not.

Someone upthread mention BBC radio

growstuff

StripeyGran

growstuff

StripeyGran

Please let's not hear " Lone Wolf" again.

It makes me sick.

Why don't you like the expression? If it turns out there were no accomplices, what else could he be called?

A suspect?

But the term differentiates from a planned and co-ordinated group action. A genuine "lone wolf" is not part of a network, although he/she could have been influenced by others, especially online.

It's somebody who is acting without instructions or collaboration from others.

Sorry, I don't really see what's wrong with it as an expression.

Language is a funny thing. To me, it slightly glamourises the person.

Anyway, I sincerely hope all those affected are pulling through.
My ideas don't matter one bit really.

surfsup

Yes known to have mental health issues and known to authorities. Gives a lie to those insisting someone with violent tendancies wouldn’t be allowed to travel on a train. I actually wonder which world some inhabit.

What I actually wrote was that nobody who was being detained with known violent tendencies would be allowed to travel on public transport. It is highly likely that he was not being detained.

Incidentally, I still can't find any mention of his mental health history on the BBC main page.

Let’s see how ‘reasonable’ some parts of the press are. It would not surprise me if they still attempt to link colour of skin to the incident.

Or, they will harass the current government for the lack of oversight of this man: and I can tell you with no doubt at all from local knowledge that services have been this bad for at least 4 years, blame firmly in the years of austerity.

It’s affecting Dementia Care: Mental Health care for children and young people: yes, your family, my family

Counselling has been cut so much that paradoxically, that group of young adults not able to cope with work without that support, often maligned, are now claiming PIP which is overall far more expensive than a low but supportive level of MH support.

StripeyGran, yes, I came on to post exactly the same, that the police had to reveal the ethnicity of the arrested man, to try to calm down the racist online speculation.

surfsup

Yes known to have mental health issues and known to authorities. Gives a lie to those insisting someone with violent tendancies wouldn’t be allowed to travel on a train. I actually wonder which world some inhabit.

I seriously can't find anything about his mental health history.

Radio Three