In this special briefing of True Criminals, Sky News crime correspondent Martin Brunt and journalist Helen Fospero break down the stabbing on the Doncaster to London Kings Cross train on 1 November 2025. Minutes after departing Peterborough, a lone passenger launched a knife attack, injuring several people.
Martin details how the driver alerted control and made an emergency stop at Huntingdon, where armed officers boarded the train. A crew member was seriously injured while protecting passengers, a moment of extraordinary bravery highlighted in this episode.
Martin and Helen explain how the suspect boarded at Peterborough, how the alarm was raised, and why Operation PLATO, Britain’s major-incident terrorism protocol, was briefly activated before police confirmed the attack was not terror-related. They examine the responses of passengers, staff, and emergency services as they dealt with a fast-moving incident on a moving train.
The briefing also updates listeners on the investigation: a 32-year-old man from Peterborough has been charged with multiple counts of attempted murder and is being linked to earlier knife incidents in the area.
Support the Show
Listen ad free and access our full catalogue, including a True Criminals coffee mug, on Patreon at www.patreon.com/truecriminals.
As an independent podcast, we rely on listener support. You can also donate via PayPal
https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=YQVFJR5766BJE
Follow True Criminals
Follow us on Instagram at @true.criminals and subscribe to our YouTube channel at https://www.youtube.com/@True-Criminals.
Connect with Martin Brunt
Follow Martin on Twitter at @skymartinbrunt. Discover more about his career and the cases he’s covered by reading his book, No One Got Cracked Over the Head for No Reason: Dispatches from a Crime Reporter, available here: https://amzn.eu/d/g1WisSY.
Connect with Helen Fospero
Follow Helen on Instagram at @helenfospero and check out her podcast, The Convex Conversation, here: https://podcasts.apple.com/gb/podcast/the-convex-conversation/id1510209575.
Credits
True Criminals is produced by Audio Bleach Global.
Visit www.audiobleachglobal.com/truecriminals for more information.
Executive Producer: Lee Mann.
Producer: Russell Barnes.
Audio Production: Andrew Chappell.
Music Composition: Chap Mannequin.
Artwork: Bleached
Learn more about your ad choices. Visit podcastchoices.com/adchoices
