Victim Describes Christmas Day 'Carnage' in West End
A man has told a jury at the Old Bailey that he would have been killed during a violent rampage on Christmas Day last year had his friend not intervened to save him. The court is hearing the case against Anthony Gilheaney, 30, who is accused of leaving a "trail of carnage" in London's West End in the early hours of December 25, 2024.
The alleged series of drink-fuelled attacks resulted in the death of 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and left four other people injured. The first victim, Arif Khan, gave evidence on Wednesday, describing how Gilheaney allegedly targeted him on Archer Street.
'He Would Have Killed Me'
Mr Khan told jurors that Gilheaney called him a racial slur before reversing his Mercedes car into him, knocking him to the ground. "He tried to crash into me," Mr Khan said. "I was out cold. I'm lucky my friend was there to save my life, otherwise he would have killed me, and I wouldn't be here today."
CCTV footage shown to the court reportedly depicted Mr Khan standing behind the car before it reversed into him. His friend, Benjamin Asante, who witnessed the collision, rushed to pull Mr Khan back onto the pavement and out of the road.
The situation escalated further when Gilheaney allegedly got out of the vehicle and chased Mr Khan, striking him with an object. "I fell over because my head was still a bit... I was not all there," Mr Khan recounted. "After that he was trying to attack me... but my friend was there to stop him."
Mr Khan sustained a 5cm long and 3mm deep wound to his scalp and was treated at University College Hospital. Police later recovered parts of a Phillips screwdriver at the scene; a DNA profile from the handle and shaft allegedly matched the defendant.
Alleged Racist and Homophobic Motives
Following the attack on Mr Khan, the prosecution alleges Gilheaney went on to strike a gay couple, Miguel Waihrich and Marcelo Basbus-Garcia, who were walking home from Midnight Mass. He then crashed into Aidan Chapman and his friend Tyrone Ithoro as they crossed Shaftesbury Avenue.
The prosecution contends that the attacks on Mr Khan and the couple were driven by racist and homophobic motives. During cross-examination, Mr Khan, who gave evidence from behind a screen, became angry when the defence suggested he knew Gilheaney because of a drug debt. "I don't know the kid from anywhere, he's got nothing to do with me," he replied.
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 at the Old Bailey continues.
