A 51-year-old man who was stabbed to death on a train from Guildford to London Waterloo this afternoon was travelling with his 14-year-old son at the time.

The attack happened shortly before 1pm near Horsley station in Surrey.

It is believed the man and his killer boarded the train at London Road, east of Guildford and the killer got off at Clandon.

The attack happened shortly before 1pm this afternoon near Horsley station in Surrey (Picture: SWNS)

The train pulled into Horsley station but despite the efforts of air ambulance doctors, paramedics and police officers, the man was pronounced dead at the scene.


He is not thought to have known his attacker.

A murder enquiry has now been launched by British Transport Police following the serious incident and the suspect remains on the run.

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The suspect has been described as a black man, in his 20s to 30s, approximately 6ft tall and of slim build with a beard. He was believed to be dressed all in black with white trainers.



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.’

It is believed the man and his killer boarded the train at London Road, east of Guildford and the killer got off at Clandon (Picture: SWNS)

The suspect remains on the run (Picture: SWNS)

A spokesman for British Transport Police said: ‘At 1.15pm this afternoon officers from BTP, along with colleagues from Surrey Police and the South East Coast Ambulance Service, were called to Horsley station, after a report that a man had been stabbed on board the 12.58pm train service travelling between Guildford and London Waterloo.

‘The victim suffered a fatal stab wound and despite the best efforts of officers and paramedics, he sadly died at the scene.

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‘A number of officers are now in the Clandon area, attempting to identify and trace the man responsible for this assault. No arrests have been made at present.’

Detective Superintendent Paul Langley said: ‘By now you’ll be aware that British Transport Police and Surrey Police were called to Horsley station at 1.15pm today following a serious stabbing on board a South Western Railways train.

‘The stabbing happened on the 12.58pm service from Guildford to London Waterloo.

‘Tragically as a result of this stabbing, a man believed to be 51-years-old, was pronounced dead on board the train. Early indications suggest he received multiple stab wounds to his body.

The train pulled into Horsley station but despite the efforts of air ambulance doctors, paramedics and police officers was pronounced dead at the scene (Picture: SWNS)

‘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.

‘We know that the suspect also boarded the service at London Road station. However at this time we do not believe they were known to each other.

‘We also know that the suspect left the train service at Clandon station and headed in the direction of Dedswell Drive. There have been a number of sightings in this areas from members of the public and our inquiries are focussing in on these areas.

A murder investigation has now been launched (Picture: PA)

‘We have a number of officers in the area working hard to trace the man responsible for this violent and deadly attack. We are working close with Surrey Police and the National Police Air Service who are helping us to locate him.



‘The suspect is a black man, in his 20s to 30s, approximately 6ft tall and of slim build with a beard. He was believed to be dressed all in black with white trainers.

‘At this moment I would ask the public to please contact police urgently by calling 999 if they see anyone matching this description – please do not approach him.

‘Our major investigation continues and we are appealing for witnesses to get in touch. If you were on board the train, we need to hear from you as soon as possible regardless if you saw what happened or not. Please text us on 61016.

‘Finally, I would like to reassure the public that violent events such as this on the rail network are extremely rare.

‘Over the course of the evening and into tomorrow, we will have extra officers out on duty in the local area to help reassure any concerned passengers and rail staff.”

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