'Terminator' Tube attacker who hit stranger with machete on Jubilee Line guilty of attempted murder

Sejal Karia reports on the case for ITV News. Warning: Footage released by the British Transport Police shows the scenes of the machete attack unfolding.

A man who hacked at a London Tube commuter with a machete in an unprovoked attack on the Jubilee Line has been found guilty of attempted murder.

Ricky Morgan was compared to the "Terminator" by victim James Porritt, who suffered a severe hand injury in the attack at around 6:50pm on July 9 last year, the Old Bailey heard.

Panicked passengers toppled over each other as they fled through carriages while Morgan, 34, told horrified onlookers: “This is not a terror attack, I only want him.”

Mr Porritt, a self-employed businessman, was sat down on the train on his way to meet his girlfriend when Morgan attacked him between Green Park and Bond Street.

In a video interview played in court, Mr Porritt described how he was looking at his phone when he heard a scream and the next thing he knew Morgan was hitting him over the head.

Describing the attack, he said: “I was pleading ‘Please stop, please stop’.

“I was in shock, it was like a horror movie. I genuinely thought he was going to kill me.”

Mr Porritt, who is in his forties, said he did not feel anything but saw the blood as Morgan smashed an object over his head.

He said: “He was just hitting me. It did not make sense. I didn’t understand why this guy was hitting me. There was no confrontation. There was no issue, it was just bang, (he) started hitting me.

“He was like a machine. It was like that movie Terminator. He was emotionless. He did not seem to have any kind of compassion. But it seemed very focused and relentless and he

was just hellbent on doing what he was doing."

Mr Porritt described how "genuinely thought I was going to die" and says he ran for his life.

Morgan pursued him and lunged the “huge” blade through the window of the connecting carriage door, saying: “I don’t want anyone else, I just want him,” the court heard.

Mr Porritt managed to get away and through a carriage door, while holding the severed parts of his hand together.

People were screaming but they could not hold Morgan off, and Mr Porritt added: “It was just terrifying.”

As well as the severe injury to his right hand, Mr Porritt suffered bone-deep cuts to his head and shin, jurors were told.

In a statement on Friday Mr Porritt said: "The events that took place on the Jubilee line train during rush hour have changed my family, my girlfriend’s and my life forever; as well as every single person who witnessed the attack on the train that evening."

According to witnesses, passengers got up and screamed when the attacker started waving the knife around.

Many tried to run away but in the panic ended up piled on the floor, the court heard.

A passenger bravely tried to engage with Morgan and told him to “calm down”, the court heard.

On being confronted by police, Morgan dropped the blade, put his hands up and got on the floor.

He told officers it was “a road issue” not a “terrorist attack”, adding: “If I had known it would cause this much drama I would not have done it.”

Following the verdicts, police released graphic CCTV footage showing Morgan shouting and thrashing with the machete inside the carriage as terrified members scrambled to get away.

Footage released by the British Transport Police shows the scenes of a machete attack unfolding.

Detective Sergeant Nick Thompson, of the British Transport Police, said: "This was a brutal and unprovoked attack. The two men had never spoken, never met and had never crossed paths until that day.

"Clearly it was a terrifying situation for the victim, he was able to escape but this attack and the injuries he suffered continue to have a substantial impact on his life.

"BTP firearms officers were soon at the scene, Morgan was subdued and taken into custody. He is evidently a danger to the public and the jury saw fit to ensure he faces consequences equal to the severity of this attack."

Morgan, of no fixed address, told a psychiatrist he had been carrying the machete and lock knife around for some time.

He also had an almost empty bottle of vodka in his rucksack, the court heard.

Morgan, who declined to give evidence in court, denied attempted murder on grounds of insanity but was found guilty by a jury at the Old Bailey after two days of deliberations.

He was also convicted of possessing a machete and a lock knife.

Judge John Hillen adjourned sentencing until July 22 for a psychiatric report to be prepared.