Two arrested after man stabbed to death in front of his son in frenzied train attack

Two people have been arrested following the fatal stabbing of a 51-year-old train passenger in front of his 14-year-old son.

The frenzied attack happened on the 12.58 service between Guildford and London Waterloo stations on Friday.

Superintendent Paul Langley said: “What we know at the moment is that the victim boarded the train at around 1.00pm at London Road station in Guildford, along with his 14-year-old son.

“Traumatically, the victim’s son would have been nearby when his father was fatally wounded. This would have been an horrific and hugely traumatic event to have witnessed and we are providing him with as much support as possible.

A man has been detained on suspicion of murder, and a 27-year-old woman was also arrested on suspicion of assisting an offender.

Supt Langley assured the public that “violent events such as this on the rail network are extremely rare”, and there would be extra officers on duty on Saturday to help reassure concerned passengers and rail staff.

The knifeman left the train at Clandon station and headed in the direction of Dedswell Drive, according to the police.

A woman who lives nearby reportedly told other villagers that she had spoken to a “very sweaty and nervous” man in a field near her home.

“Please be vigilant as I just came across a mid 20’s, slim build, black beard, bald suspicious man wearing a black tracksuit walking around our neighbouring field, very sweaty and nervous,” she is said to have posted on a neighbourhood watch website.

“He walk (sic) to the bottom then stood in the woodland, walk back up. I asked him what he was doing and he said he had an accident.

“Our road is private and so is the field. He walked off on the phone and didn’t want to chat. There was no reason for him to be there!”

Officers were called to Horsley station at 1.15pm following reports of a stabbing on a train.

The victim was said to have suffered “multiple stab wounds” in the “frightening” attack.

The South East Coast Ambulance Service confirmed the victim died at the scene.

Detective Superintendent Gary Richardson, from British Transport Police, said: “This was a shocking and violent attack which took place on board a train in broad daylight.

“Officers from BTP are with the family and have deployed a specially trained family liaison officer to support them through this difficult time.

“We know that this was an incredibly frightening incident for passengers travelling on the train.”

One social media user who said they had been on the train praised the “incredible” response of the guards and driver in a tweet to South Western Railway.

They wrote: “I was on this train, how those guards and especially that train driver went into action was nothing short of incredible. Not sure if it’s appropriate to say thank you, but I do hope everyone is ok after today’s event.”

A number of police officers and helicopters were deployed in the Horsley and Clandon area as a murder inquiry was launched.

Officers are urging any witnesses to the attack to get in touch.

Oliver Thompson, a 16-year-old student living in Clandon, said he was stopped by police in the area at roughly 2.30pm and asked if he had seen a “man running from the station”.

A little later he saw police helicopters circling the area before being joined by “a police van with high-powered lights” as conditions darkened.

“It comes as a big surprise as Clandon is a quiet area that you wouldn’t associate with crime like this,” he said.

“It is definitely unnerving to think there is a murderer maybe somewhere in the village.”

South Western Railway said the train line between Guildford and Effingham Junction towards London Waterloo was blocked for almost seven hours while police responded to the incident.

The train operator said all lines had been reopened with services returning to normal, but warned that some trains on the route could be delayed by up to 10 minutes or revised.