Sword attacker 'snuffed out' schoolboy daniel anjorin's life 'in an instant'

TEENAGER DANIEL ANJORIN WAS ALLEGEDLY 'SLAIN' WITH A SAMURAI SWORD BY MARCUS ARDUINI MONZO WHILE WALKING TO SCHOOL DURING AN ALLEGED 20-MINUTE RAMPAGE IN HAINAULT, EAST LONDON

11:49, 04 Jun 2025Updated 16:32, 04 Jun 2025 A 14-year-old boy "simply walking to school, minding his own business" had his life "snuffed out in an instant" by an alleged

samurai sword attacker during a 20-minute rampage, a court has 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 Old Bailey heard. 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, is on trial charged with a total of eight offences. They include 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. Article continues below "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. The court heard Monzo had said "I will kill you" as he approached with the

weapon having just run him over. CCTV played to the jury from a Ring doorbell captured Mr Iwule shouting at his attacker: "I don't know you, I don't know you." Monzo

chillingly replied: "I don't care, I will kill you." Footage showed Monzo driving his grey Transit van at speed into Mr Iwule at 6.51am. The vehicle hits the victim and then

smashes through the fence of the front garden of a house. Mr Iwule screams in shock and pain as Monzo produces the sword and approaches him. It was "remarkable" that the van did

not kill or seriously injure Mr Iwule who managed to scramble to his feet and run away. 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." Monzo

had killed and skinned his own cat before he went on the killer rampage, the court heard. When quizzed by police Monzo said his personality switched and “something happened, like a game

happening," the court heard. Mr LIttle said: "It was like a movie 'hunger games'. He said: 'Part of my lifestyle is to heal. Been through traumatic events in

childhood.' He said that one of his personalities was a professional assassin." A search of his home revealed the presence of a skinned and deboned cat, as well as cannabis, the

court heard. Mr Little said a post mortem of Daniel's wounds revealed that he had suffered a "near-decapitation". The wound was horizontal and widely gaping and measured at

least 19 centimetres from end to end. Mr Little told the jury: "This was an unsurvivable injury and is essentially a near-decapitation." Monzo was eventually tasered by police,

arrested on suspicion of murder at the scene. Mr Little said he responded to the officers with the words: “Allah, Allah will unite us all” and “God, God, will reunite us all.” A search of

his van revealed a brown-handled knife with blood-staining on it. Mr Little told the jury: "A sample of blood staining was taken from the blade which indicated that it was not human

blood. It is perhaps worth noting in that context that the evidence reveals that the defendant killed and skinned his own cat shortly before the matters that you are considering."

Article continues below Monzo had no previous convictions and there was no record of him having any contact with mental health services before the incident, the court heard. The trial

continues.