Hainault swordsman ‘smiled after stabbing pedestrian in neck'
Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is on trial accused of murdering schoolboy Daniel Anjorin and attempting to kill four others during a 20-minute rampage in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charges.
On Monday, jurors were shown CCTV of the first alleged attack, which showed Mr Monzo's grey Ford Transit mounting the pavement and hitting Donato Iwule, a Co-op security guard on his way to work.
The footage shows Mr Iwule screaming as he is struck by the van, before it collides with a house.
Mr Monzo is then seen exiting the vehicle and walking after him while brandishing a sword.
Giving evidence, Mr Iwule said: 'I thought I was dying.'
He told the court that he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground.
He said Mr Monzo got out of the van, pulled a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face' and threw the cover aside.
Mr Iwule told Tom Little KC, prosecuting: 'I said 'I don't know you'... I said it multiple times. He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.'
He said he tried to defend himself and raised his arms but Mr Monzo swung the sword, catching him on the neck.
'I saw blood coming out of my neck,' he said. 'I pressed my thumb to not bleed out... I shouted 'God is greatest' in Arabic – because I'm Muslim.
'When that happened, he was smiling like it was something that he was happy about.'
Mr Iwule said Mr Monzo became distracted and so he jumped over a fence to escape, later shouting at a schoolboy, believed to be Daniel, to go back inside.
'His eyes were black'
Shortly afterwards, Nathan Hutchinson, another Co-op employee, arrived at the scene.
He told jurors that he saw Mr Monzo emerge from bushes holding a sword with both hands.
Mr Hutchinson said: 'He looked a bit mad, like there was nothing there – his eyes were black. He was muttering some words like: 'You are going to die'.'
He added that the weapon was held 'upright in a way to strike' and that he fled after seeing how close Mr Monzo was.
Under cross-examination, Mr Iwule said he was standing upright when he was struck and could clearly hear Mr Monzo say he was going to kill him.
Jurors were also shown CCTV and phone footage of Mr Monzo appearing to stand over Daniel shortly after the fatal attack, holding the schoolboy's backpack in one hand.
Footage from a nearby property appeared to show part of Mr Monzo's body as he struck Daniel, but the full encounter was obscured by a house.
Another woman could be heard in mobile phone footage saying: 'F---, he just killed that boy,' as Daniel's lifeless body lay on the floor.
The scenes prompted a brief suspension of the trial after a juror left the courtroom, visibly affected.
Last week, jurors heard that Mr Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat before carrying out the alleged attacks, and was under the influence of cannabis, which may have led to drug-induced psychosis.
However, the prosecution said this does not amount to diminished responsibility.
Mitchell Hayes, a witness who was also on his way to work at the Co-op, said he saw the van 'going faster, slowing down, going faster' before the collision.
He said he later heard screaming, saw the driver walk around the van and then get back in and reverse away, appearing to hold what looked like a sword.
Mr Hayes said he stayed with Mr Iwule, who was holding his neck and bleeding, for 10 to 15 minutes before becoming aware of another incident nearby.
He said another colleague, Mr Hutchinson, began shouting that the attacker had a sword and they saw a body on the other side of the road.
'He was running around with it like a maniac,' Mr Hayes said of the man that he believed to be Mr Monzo.
Mr Monzo has admitted possessing two swords but denies murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
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