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A fund for the hero football fan who suffered horrific knife injuries in the knife attack on a train in Cambridgeshire has passed £50,000.
Stephen Crean’s beloved Nottingham Forest donated £10,000 towards him at the request of the club’s owner.
As well as the hefty donation, he has been offered a free season ticket, and Stephen has been invited to fly with the club by private jet to watch a Europe League fixture, and stay at the team’s hotel – before watching the action from the director’s box.
The initial figure for the fund, just £500, has been totally smashed with tens of thousands of pounds raised within the space of just a few days.
Stephen was knifed in the back, head and hand in the attack on a busy LNER train heading towards London on Saturday evening.
He was slashed repeatedly while standing his ground when faced with the knife attacker – to buy time so that other passengers could reach the safety of the buffet car.
Mr Crean said the man asked him: “Do you want to die? Do you want to die?” Before he was stabbed.
He told Metro that the sum raised for him has left him shocked.
“I don’t expect anything in life but this is such a kind gesture, I can’t quite believe it.
Read more: Huntingdon train suspect ‘linked to string of knife crimes’ hours before attack
Read more: Man arrested on suspicion of attempted murder after woman stabbed in London park
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“I can’t open up any messages or look at the charity page myself but friends have shown me it and I’m in shock at the fact people have kindly donated so much.”
After the attack he said: “He’s gone for me and there was a tussle in the arms with him and that’s where my hand, the fingers are really bad, four cuts through them, sliced. And then he raised it and must have caught me when I was ducking and diving and must have caught me on the head.”
He said it was ‘lovely’ to be described as a hero but that the real heroes were people who saved the lives of victims.
Yesterday, a train crew member who was seriously injured while trying to protect passengers was identified as Samir Zitouni, known as Sam.
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The 48-year-old customer experience host was working onboard the London North Eastern Railway (LNER) train from Doncaster to London.
He “did not hesitate as he stepped forward to protect those around him”, his employer said, and he remains in hospital in a stable condition but critically unwell.
LNER said Mr Zitouni, who has worked for the firm for more than 20 years, has been credited with helping to save multiple lives after passengers came under threat.
Anthony Williams, 32, was remanded into custody at Peterborough Magistrates’ Court on Monday charged with 10 counts of attempted murder over the train incident.
He is next due to appear at Cambridge Crown Court on December 1.
