A 14-year-old boy “simply walking to school, minding his own business” had his life “snuffed out in an instant” by a samurai sword attacker during a 20-minute rampage, a jury heard. Daniel Anjorin was allegedly “slain” by Marcus Arduini Monzo who used “severe” and “extreme” force to inflict a “devastating and unsurvivable” injury on him.
The teenager was wearing headphones and did not hear the sword-wielding attacker racing up behind him, the Old Bailey was told. Four other people were seriously injured in separate attacks in Hainault, north east London on April 30 last year. Monzo, a Spanish-Brazilian national, of Newham, east London, has gone on trial today charged with a total of eight offences including the attempted murders of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and PC Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, as well as wounding Insp Moloy Campbell with intent.
Monzo, 37, also denied aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article relating to a kitchen knife.
Opening the case on Wednesday Tom Little KC told the jury: “This case involves a brutal string of attacks with murderous intent primarily committed with the use of a large sword.
“It occurred over a period of only about 20 minutes, early in the morning of 30th April last year. One of those attacked was killed and others were injured with various degrees of severity.
“But the Prosecution say that there was a clear intention to kill a number of people that morning on the defendant’s part. It did not matter who they were, or indeed how old they were. Daniel Anjorin is the boy that was murdered. He did not know the defendant. He was just 14 years of age at the time.
“He had left home and was simply walking to school, minding his own business, looking forward to the day ahead when he was killed by the defendant.
“His life was snuffed out in an instant. In fact most accurately he was slain by the defendant with the use of a sword.
“The force used was extreme. It involved a devastating and unsurvivable chopping injury to the left hand side of Daniel’s face and neck.”
Wearing a green jumper, balding Monzo sat in the dock as the case was opened against him.
Mr Little said the prosecution understood that he did not deny carrying out the attacks but claims he was suffering from a pre-existing mental disorder which led to him experiencing “psychotic episodes”.
He added: “The Prosecution case is that this is a clear case of murder and that it is also a clear case of four attempted murders.”
“We say that the defendant’s conduct was brought about by self-induced intoxication in the form of drugs.”
Outlining the sequence of events, Mr Little told the jury that the first victim, Donato Iwule, was deliberately driven into by the defendant in his van “catapulting” him into a garden.
Mr Little said the defendant then got out of the vehicle and attacked Mr Iwule with the sword, striking him to the neck. “Donato Iwule also did not know the defendant.
“If he had not managed to escape it seems inevitable that he too would have been killed,” Mr Little told the jury.
Daniel was the next victim. He was murdered just as police arrived at the scene, the court heard.
A female police officer, Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, was the third person to be attacked.
She “bravely pursued the defendant through a series of alleyways” while he remained armed with the sword when she was set upon, the court heard.
Ms Mechem-Whitfield was chasing Monzo behind the homes close to where the first two attacks had taken place. Mr Little said: “She too could easily have been killed by the ferocious attack upon her.”
The trial continues.
