Driver says he cannot remember 'Christmas carnage'

A man accused of leaving a "trail of carnage" in London's West End last Christmas Day in a series of drink-fuelled attacks has denied using his car as a "weapon to strike people".

Anthony Gilheaney is accused of using his Mercedes to mow down five pedestrians in the early hours of 25 December 2024, killing 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and leaving four others seriously injured.

At the Old Bailey, the 30-year-old denies charges which include murder, attempted murder and causing grievous bodily harm. He admits dangerous driving.

Jurors heard he has never had a driving licence but has "always" liked being at the wheel of powerful cars, and that he accepted his motoring history was "shocking".

In court, Mr Gilheaney told the jury he initially had "no memory" of the incident, adding he felt it was "impossible" he could face such serious charges.

"I never used that vehicle deliberately and never would. I have never done that in my life. It is not me," he said.

The prosecution have told jurors Mr Gilheaney was drunk and "beside himself with rage" when he left a nightclub in the Shaftesbury Avenue area.

He got into an argument with a complete stranger, punched another and attacked a Sikh man as he walked along the road before getting into his car, the court heard.

He then started shouting abuse at another complete stranger, Arif Khan, calling him a racial slur before driving into him, the prosecution said.

Mr Gilheaney proceeded to drive up and down the street, mounting the kerb and causing pedestrians to flee in panic, jurors heard.

It is alleged he then drove at Marcelo Basbus-Garcia and his partner Miguel Waihrich, who were walking home after Midnight Mass.

Further along Shaftesbury Avenue, Mr Gilheaney "suddenly careered onto the other side of the road" and struck Mr Chapman who was crossing the road with a friend, the court heard.

Mr Chapman suffered fatal brain damage and died in hospital on New Year's Eve.

Police eventually found Mr Gilheaney passed out in Lincoln's Inn Fields in Holborn, central London, jurors heard.

Mr Gilheaney told the court he had drunk up to six cans of a vodka cocktail mix before he arrived at a bar that night, and described himself as "tipsy".

When asked if he had previously driven in that condition, he said "unfortunately yes".

He also told the court that he had used false number plates to help cover his tracks whenever parking tickets or other offences triggered interest in the vehicle.

He said he had bought the Mercedes for £15,000 just a few weeks earlier, intending to sell it on eventually.

The braking pedal was slightly bent and there were replacements in the boot, the court heard.

He 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.

The trial continues.

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