A young man who was struck head-on by a car in London's West End on Christmas Day last year "had not stood a chance", a court has heard.
A Series of Deliberate Attacks
The Old Bailey was told on Tuesday that 30-year-old Anthony Gilheaney left a "trail of carnage" in the early hours of December 25, 2024. Prosecutors allege he was drunk and mowed down five people in a series of separate incidents.
Opening the trial, prosecutor Crispin Aylett KC told jurors that Gilheaney "deliberately drove across the street intending to kill someone" before hitting 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and his friend Tyrone Ithoro on Shaftesbury Avenue.
The Fatal Collision on Shaftesbury Avenue
Jurors were shown CCTV footage of the moment leading to the fatal crash. The footage showed Mr Chapman and Mr Ithoro looking both ways before crossing the road, which appeared clear.
"It is being driven at speed and then, for no apparent reason other than a desire to knock somebody down, the defendant careered onto the other side of the road and struck them," Mr Aylett said.
Mr Ithoro was clipped and knocked down as he almost reached the pavement. Mr Chapman was hit head-on, thrown into the air, and landed on the other side of the junction with Rupert Street.
"Aidan was bleeding profusely from his head and ears, and he was lapsing in and out of consciousness," the prosecutor told the court.
Injuries and Aftermath
Mr Chapman was rushed to St Mary's Hospital in Paddington. He was found to have suffered a severe brain injury, skull fractures, facial fractures, and a broken thigh bone.
The neurosurgery team concluded that no operation could improve his condition. On New Year's Eve, the life-support machines were turned off and he died.
The court heard that prior to the fatal collision, Gilheaney had left a nightclub on Shaftesbury Avenue while drunk. He allegedly first attacked a man named Arif Khan, using a racial slur before reversing into him.
He then allegedly reversed into an Uber driver's vehicle twice. Following this, he is accused of targeting Marcelo Basbus-Garcia and his partner Miguel Waihrich as they walked home from Midnight Mass on Great Windmill Street, driving at them twice.
The prosecution alleges these earlier attacks were racist and homophobic in nature.
Charges and Previous Convictions
Anthony Gilheaney has pleaded not guilty to a total of nine charges. These include:
- One count of murder (relating to Aidan Chapman)
- One count of wounding with intent
- Three counts of attempted murder
- Two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent
- One count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm
The jury was informed that Gilheaney has already admitted to dangerous driving in relation to the events. He also has six previous convictions for dangerous driving dating from March 2012 to March 2023.
The trial at the Old Bailey continues.
