Misconduct case over assault linked to train attack

Two police officers are due to face a gross misconduct hearing over their handling of an alleged assault weeks before several people were stabbed on a train.

Ricky Butcher was outside a social club in Peterborough waiting for a taxi on 27 September when he said he was attacked and left with facial injuries.

The Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) said one of the officers allegedly failed to conduct appropriate inquiries and both officers were alleged to have concealed this by falsely claiming no CCTV was available.

Detectives had linked the incident with the knife attack on a train on 1 November, in which 10 people were injured as it passed through Cambridgeshire.

Butcher told the BBC he needed stitches for a cut to his mouth after the incident outside the Fletton Club.

He said he was "fuming" that the force appeared to drop its investigation two days later given "I had five witnesses with me".

Cambridgeshire Police referred itself to the IOPC on 10 November after a complaint was made about its handling of the case.

The force had been investigating its potential prior contact with Anthony Williams - the man officers suspect of carrying out the attacks on the Doncaster to London King's Cross service.

Concluding its inquiry, the IOPC said the officers also included other inaccurate information in a crime report about the Fletton incident.

"While we have found the officers will face disciplinary proceedings, it will be for the force to organise the hearing and its misconduct panel to determine whether, based on the evidence, the allegations of gross misconduct are proven," said IOPC director of engagement, Emily Barry.

"The parties involved have been notified of our decision."

Williams, 33, of Langford Road in Peterborough, is due to appear for a preliminary hearing at Cambridge Crown Court on Thursday.

He is charged with 21 counts - relating to various offences on different dates and in various locations - including 14 counts of attempted murder.

Do you have a story suggestion for Cambridgeshire? Contact us below.

Follow Cambridgeshire news on BBC Sounds, Facebook, Instagram and X.