Driver ‘tried to punch baby in pram before killing man’ in London’s West End

A Mercedes driver who left a ‘trail of carnage’ across London’s West End last Christmas Day tried to punch a baby amid a series of drink-fuelled attacks that eventually killed a man, the Old Bailey heard.

Anthony Gilheaney, 30, is accused of mowing down five pedestrians in the capital in the early hours of December 25, 2024, killing 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and leaving four others seriously injured.

One onlooker, Ayyat Mahmood, told the court today he and his family – including his sister-in-law and her three-year-old daughter – had gone out that night to enjoy the festive lights in central London.

He said their group was walking along Great Windmill Street when they saw Gilheaney standing shirtless in the middle of the road ‘challenging and shouting – he was looking for someone’.

Jurors were previously told Gilheaney had, at that point, already reversed into and assaulted a man, Arif Khan, in Archer Street, and was ‘beside himself with rage’.

As Mr Mahmood and his family kept walking along Great Windmill Street, Gilheaney is said to have targeted Miguel Waihrich and his partner Marcelo Basbus-Garcia, who were returning from midnight mass in Piccadilly.

Mr Mahmood told jurors he saw the defendant’s car driving ‘fastly and randomly’ up the street, causing pedestrians in the area to scramble for safety.

‘The car passed by us and just behind me there was another man who was running to save himself, but he hit him,’ Mr Mahmood said – thought to be a reference to Mr Basbus-Garcia.

‘He hit him so fast that he flew.’

Gilheaney then allegedly reversed his car towards Mr Mahmood and his family.

‘He was now trying to hit us,’ Mr Mahmood told jurors.

When asked if this was his impression of the incident, the witness said: ‘That’s not an impression. He was trying to hit us.

‘He came towards us, and my sister-in-law with her pram.

‘It was so close that it was just like in movies, where you see that a slight difference, a few centimeters maybe, he would have hit me also.’

Mr Mahmood told the court that Gilheaney had his driver window down, and that he spoke to him after they were nearly hit by his car, pointing to his three-year-old niece in her pram.

‘This time I said: “Are you crazy? There’s a baby”,’ Mr Mahmood said.

‘He came out of the window and tried to punch her head.

‘He was so aggressive, didn’t care about if she was a little baby.’

Mr Mahmood said he took the pram and fled to another street with the rest of his family.

Following this incident, Gilheaney allegedly went on to hit 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and his friend Tyrone Itorho, who were crossing the road in Shaftesbury Avenue.

Mr Chapman was hit full-on and suffered catastrophic brain damage, the trial heard.

He died in hospital on New Year’s Eve.

Some of the victims – including Mr Khan, who was hit in Archer Street, Mr Basbus-Garcia and Mr Waihrich – were targeted for racist and homophobic reasons, the prosecution allege.

Gilheaney denies one count of murder, one count of wounding with intent, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.

Jurors were told on Monday he had already admitted to dangerous driving.

The trial continues.

Get in touch with our news team by emailing us at webnews@usnewsrank.com.

For more stories like this, check our news page.