A motorist who deliberately drove into pedestrians during a violent rampage through London's West End on Christmas Day intended to kill someone, the Old Bailey has been told.
A Night of Drink-Fuelled Violence
The court heard that Anthony Gilheaney, 30, left a 'trail of carnage' after a series of attacks in the early hours of 25 December. Prosecutors stated his actions were driven by a drunken rage and included racist and homophobic motives.
Gilheaney had left a nightclub and was 'beside himself with rage' when he used his car as a weapon, targeting five people. One victim, 25-year-old Aidan Chapman, suffered catastrophic brain damage and died in hospital on New Year's Eve.
A Spree of Deliberate Attacks
Prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC outlined a harrowing sequence of events. It began with a racist attack on Arif Khan in Archer Street. Gilheaney then targeted two men in Great Windmill Street in what is alleged to have been a homophobic assault.
The court was told the defendant was 'completely and utterly out of control' by the time he reached Shaftesbury Avenue. "He deliberately drove across the street intending to kill someone – and that is what happened," Aylett said.
Jurors heard that Gilheaney, while drunk, had also:
- Argued with a stranger.
- Punched another stranger.
- Attacked a Sikh man without provocation, knocking him down with his car before getting out to kick him.
When the victim's friends intervened, an Uber driver, Hasan Mashood, captured the fight on his dashcam. Gilheaney then reversed his car hard into Mashood's vehicle, ramming it a second time when the Uber driver tried to escape.
Targeting a Gay Couple and Fatal Collision
His rampage continued on Great Windmill Street, where he drove at a gay couple who were walking home hand-in-hand after Midnight Mass. One was knocked to the ground, and as the other bent to help, Gilheaney deliberately drove at him too.
Finally, on Shaftesbury Avenue, he suddenly swerved across the road and hit Aidan Chapman and his friend Tyrone Itorho as they were crossing. Chapman was struck full-on, sustaining injuries from which he never recovered.
In total, six people – five victims and the Uber driver – required hospital treatment that night as a result of Gilheaney's actions.
Aftermath and Trial
Police later found Gilheaney passed out in Lincoln’s Inn Fields in Holborn. He began crying, told officers he was 'sorry for everything' and said he was 'guilty'. However, in later police interviews, he claimed he could not remember the events or identify himself in CCTV footage.
Anthony Gilheaney denies one count of murder, one count of wounding with intent, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. The trial continues.
