Latest news with #Hainault
Telegraph
12 hours ago
- Telegraph
Hainault swordsman ‘smiled after stabbing pedestrian in neck'
An alleged sword attacker smiled after slashing a pedestrian in the neck during a 'brutal string of attacks' that left a 14-year-old boy dead, the Old Bailey has heard. 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.
BBC News
17 hours ago
- BBC News
Daniel Anjorin murder accused slashed man and smiled, court told
An alleged sword attacker smiled after slashing a pedestrian in the neck during a "brutal string of attacks" that left a 14-year-old boy dead, the Old Bailey has Monzo, 37, is accused of murdering Daniel Anjorin and attempting to kill four others in Hainault, north-east London, in April last year. He denies the have been shown CCTV of the first alleged attack, in which a grey van mounted the pavement and hit a man on his way to work. Footage showed security guard Donato Iwule screaming as he was struck by the van before it collided with a Monzo is then seen exiting the vehicle and walking after him while brandishing a Iwule told the court he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the said the defendant pulled a sword from a cover and said "I'm going to kill you".Mr Iwule 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." Last week jurors heard how Mr Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat before carrying out the alleged attacks, and was under the influence of cannabis that may have led to drug-induced the prosecution says this does not amount to diminished Monzo has admitted possessing two swords but denies murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.
The Independent
17 hours ago
- The Independent
Alleged sword attacker ‘smiled' after slashing man in the neck, court hears
An alleged sword attacker smiled after slashing a pedestrian in the neck during a 'brutal string of attacks' that left a 14-year-old boy dead, the Old Bailey has heard. 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 Monzo's grey Ford Transit mounting the pavement and hitting Donato Iwule, a Co-op security guard on his way to work. Footage captured Mr Iwule screaming in agony as he was struck by the van before it collided with a house. 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 he tried to escape into a nearby garden but was struck on his knee, face and shoulder and knocked to the ground. He said Monzo got out of the van, pulled a sword from a cover 'right in front of my face' and threw the cover aside. 'I said 'I don't know you'… I said it multiple times,' Mr Iwule told prosecutor Tom Little KC. 'He said 'I don't care – I'm going to kill you'.' Mr Iwule said he tried to defend himself and raised his arms but 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 Monzo became distracted and he jumped over a fence to escape, later shouting at a schoolboy, believed to be Daniel, to go back inside. Under cross-examination, Mr Iwule said he was standing upright when he was struck and could clearly hear Monzo say he was going to kill him. Last week jurors heard how Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat before carrying out the alleged attacks, and was under the influence of cannabis that may have led to drug-induced psychosis. However, the prosecution says 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, Nathan 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 he believed to be Monzo. Monzo has admitted possessing two swords but denies murder, attempted murder, wounding with intent, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article. The trial continues.
Sky News
6 days ago
- General
- Sky News
Hainault murder accused had 'clear intention' to kill 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin in sword attack, court told
The man accused of murdering 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin had a "clear intention to kill" during a series of drug-fuelled sword attacks, a jury has heard at the Old Bailey. Marcus Monzo denies murdering the teenager who was on his way to school after leaving his home in Hainault, east London, at 7am on 30 April last year. The 37-year-old Spanish-Brazilian national, from Newham, is accused of murder, four counts of attempted murder and one count of wounding with intent, among other offences. Mr Monzo is charged with a total of 10 offences, eight of which he denies. 'Near-decapitation' Prosecutor Tom Little KC, outlining the case against Monzo, said the accused had a "clear intention" to kill several people during a series of attacks which lasted 20 minutes. Mr Little told the jury that Daniel was "simply walking to school" when he was "slain" with a sword, which he described as 60cm in length, and as a "lethal weapon". This weapon, he said, was used to attack Daniel from behind, slashing his neck, before stabbing him in the chest once he was on the ground. Mr Monzo had "quickly moved like a predator", the prosecutor told the court. The initial blow, he said, was a "devastating" and "unsurvivable chopping injury" to the left side of Daniel's face, causing a "near-decapitation". First alleged victim Mr Little told the jury that before allegedly murdering Daniel that day, the defendant drove a grey van directly into a man called Donato Iwule, who was walking to the Co-op, where he worked. The vehicle struck with "such force" that it sent Iwule and the van into a garden, smashing a fence and a concrete post. The court was shown footage of Monzo getting out of the van and confronting Iwule, who shouted, "I don't know you" to the defendant. Following a brief chase, Mr Little said, the accused "swings" a sword towards Iwule's neck and then torso. However, Iwule escaped, and it was "remarkable" he was not killed or significantly injured, Little said. Police officers with 'significant injuries' The defendant is also accused of injuring police officers who came to Hainault to help Daniel. It's alleged he jumped out at PC Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, causing "significant injuries". PC Mechem-Whitfield "bravely pursued" the accused, the prosecutor added, and was hit three times by the sword. 'Do you believe in God?' The jury also heard that Monzo broke into a family home - "not to hide", Mr Little said, but because he wanted to "kill more". Monzo entered a small bedroom where Sindy Arias and Henry De Los Rios Polania were asleep with their four-year-old daughter, and allegedly asked them: "Do you believe in God?" "What happened there must have been horrifying and confusing," Mr Little told the court, as Monzo attempted to swing his sword at both Mr De Los Rios Polania and Ms Arias. Mr Little said that the defendant "must have intended to kill both", but was "stopped in his tracks" by the sound of a crying four-year-old who had been woken up by the commotion. He then left the property. A second officer, Inspector Moloy Campbell, was allegedly stabbed with a sword during an attempt to apprehend Monzo and injured his hand. The defendant was eventually detained while trying to climb onto a garage to escape. He also "killed and skinned" a cat before the attacks, Mr Little told the court. 'Diminished responsibility' The prosecutor told the jury that the defence will be using the argument of diminished responsibility, which would reduce the murder offence to one of manslaughter. Mr Little added that the defence has the burden of proof to show the jury that their client did not mean to murder Daniel, and that it was more likely than not that he did not intend to commit murder. He also said that Monzo allegedly smoked cannabis that morning - described as a "self-induced intoxication" - and likely suffered from a psychotic disorder with "schizophrenic-like symptoms", including "delusional beliefs" that both he and his family were in "mortal danger". However, Mr Little argued, this won't be enough to diminish Monzo's responsibility. The prosecutor said the defendant was "fit to plead", and so the "defence of insanity" does not apply.
The Independent
6 days ago
- General
- The Independent
Man allegedly murdered boy, 14, with sword in ‘brutal string of attacks'
A man allegedly murdered a 14-year-old boy with a Samurai sword in a 'brutal string of attacks' that were indiscriminate, a court has heard. Marcus Arduini Monzo, 37, is on trial charged with murdering Daniel Anjorin during a 20-minute spate of attacks in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30 last year. He denies the charge as well as four counts of attempted murder. None of the victims were known to Monzo and 'it did not matter who they were or indeed how old they were', prosecutor Tom Little KC told the Old Bailey on Wednesday. He told jurors that they may conclude 'there can be little doubt that the defendant was intending to kill as many people as he could that day and that he is therefore just as guilty of the four charges of attempted murder as he is the charge of murder'. Prior to the incident, Monzo had skinned and deboned his own cat, the prosecutor said. It is alleged that the first attack was when Monzo drove his grey Ford Transit van at speed into Donato Iwule. The pedestrian was 'catapulted some distance' into a nearby garden on Laing Close and the vehicle smashed a concrete pillar and fence, the court heard. The defendant then exited his vehicle and struck Mr Iwule in the neck with the sword, jurors were told. Footage played to the court appeared to feature Mr Iwule wailing and later running away after the alleged murder attempt that started at 6.51am. Mr Little told jurors: 'If he had not managed to escape it seems inevitable that he too would have been killed.' The defendant then re-entered the badly damaged van and drove a short distance down Laing Close, the court heard. Daniel was wearing headphones and school sports clothes when he left home for school at 7am and was 'slain' by Monzo, Mr Little claimed. The schoolboy sustained a 'devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury to the left hand side of his face and neck' from the sword, the prosecutor added. Mr Little described the wound as 'essentially a near-decapitation'. Emergency services were called and police and paramedics arrived 'at the point and just after' the alleged attack. Pc Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield pursued the armed defendant through a series of alleyways through residential properties, the court heard. Monzo struck her three times with the sword that had a 60cm blade using 'extreme force', the prosecutor said. She sustained 'significant injuries' that could have 'easily' killed her, he added. Monzo is accused of then entering a nearby house through a backdoor and walking upstairs into a sleeping couple's bedroom and attacking them. Their daughter was sleeping in a bed next to theirs and Mr Little said: 'They were spared only because in fact the four-year-old child woke up and started to cry.' The defendant shouted to the couple on a number occasions, 'do you believe in god?' before leaving the property through the front door, the court heard. Police had been following the defendant and he was backed into a nearby garage area near to the other alleged attacks, the court heard. He is accused of then striking Inspector Moloy Campbell once with the sword before attempting to escape police. The defendant is said to have climbed on top a garage but he was eventually disarmed and arrested. During police interview he initially answered 'no comment', but later recalled having a large sword, the court heard. Monzo claimed his personality had switched and that 'something happened, like a game happening', Mr Little said. The defendant compared the events to the movie The Hunger Games and said 'part of my lifestyle is to heal… been through traumatic events in childhood'. He also told police that he had 'many personalities spread out' and that one of them is a 'professional assassin', the prosecution said. Monzo denies Daniel's murder, and has pleaded not guilty to the attempted murders of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and Pc Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, as well as wounding Inspector Moloy Campbell with intent. He also denies aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife. That weapon was found in his van and had non-human blood on it which was linked to the killing of his cat, the court heard. Monzo previously admitted two counts of having an offensive weapon, namely two swords. Jurors were told these were the alleged murder weapon, and a Katana sword with a 22cm blade that was discovered in his van and had no blood on it. Mr Little argued there is 'no issue in this trial as to who carried out this brutal string of attacks and what the defendant did on that fateful early morning'. He said Monzo had been under the influence of cannabis, and that: 'We say that the defendant's conduct was brought about by self-induced intoxication in the form of drugs. 'We say this led to a psychotic disorder but not one meeting the requirements to make out the partial defence to murder of manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility.' Drug-induced psychosis is not a recognised medical condition and cannot alone establish diminished responsibility, he said. Psychiatrists will discuss whether Monzo met the threshold for a schizotypal disorder diagnosis, he added. The trial continues.
