Driver accused of Christmas Day rampage in London’s West End says he was a ‘coward’
A driver who mowed down pedestrians in an attack that left one person dead on Christmas Day has said he was a “coward” for not stopping after the collision.
Anthony Gilheaney, 30, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of driving his Mercedes to run over five pedestrians in London’s West End in the early hours of December 25, 2024, killing Aidan Chapman, 25, and seriously injuring four others.
The collision occurred as a drunken Gilheaney turned towards a club to pick up his pregnant girlfriend.
Gilheaney told the court he had been attacked by a group of men earlier that night and although he was not in control of the vehicle he did not intend to harm anyone.
He said he looked back, then forward, saw a moped in front of him and turned the steering wheel, “and when I turned the steering wheel and pressed the brake at the same time, I accidentally hit the gas.”
Mr Chapman suffered a full blow, suffered catastrophic brain damage and died in hospital on New Year’s Eve.
Defense lawyer James Scobie asked KC Gilheaney: “Who is responsible for her death?”
The defendant replied: “I was, 100% – Driving dangerously and recklessly.”
He described his speed as “too fast” and said he should have looked “in front of me.”
He added that he hit the brakes “when it was too late.”
Gilheaney added: “I am a coward for driving and leaving a poor young man to die.
“I was a coward. I should have stood there. I panicked and had to walk away.”
The court heard Gilheaney had no clear memory of what he was doing at the time but CCTV and dashcam footage had since helped him remember.
He said it showed him “speeding through the streets of London to get away from the police and the area” before abandoning the Mercedes.
Gilheaney, an Irish traveler from Harlow, Essex, denies murder, 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 he had already admitted dangerous driving.
The prosecution said Gilheaney was drunk as he left a nightclub in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024 and was “freaking out” when he launched a series of unprovoked and violent attacks in the Shaftesbury Avenue area.
He allegedly hit five pedestrians with his car, targeting some of them for racist and homophobic reasons.
Jurors heard police eventually found him face down and passed out at Lincoln’s Inn Fields in Holborn, central London.
When he realized he had hit someone, a chase ensued and he hit people outside the club.
After making a series of statements to police that made no sense, he told the court: “I had no idea what I was talking about.”
Earlier, the jury watched footage of Gilheaney being beaten by a group of men after he punched a man in the face, used racial slurs and hit him with a screwdriver handle.
The father of three said the man made threats about his mother’s home.
He said the attack affected his driving skills and there was “confusion” about gears. He added: “I didn’t know what I was doing.”
He told the jury: “That’s when I got into the car and I started to panic, I was braking, I was putting it in gear and I didn’t know whether to go forward or reverse.
“I was holding the brake and the gear at the same time. I didn’t want to stay still because I was panicking, couldn’t see what was going on around me and was afraid the doors would open.
“I was panicking and shifting into gear.
“I couldn’t see who was around me, the attackers, and I was afraid of the police because I had a warrant and I knew I was going back to prison.”
CCTV footage later showed Gilheaney, topless from the fight and with blood on his neck, kicking a passing car, saying he was “struggling” to stay on his feet and was “very shaky”.
Back in the car, he said he felt his “body deteriorating” while driving and noted: “I lost the strength and energy in my body to keep myself up.”
“My body turned to jelly” while he was behind the wheel, he added.
Gilheaney described himself as “confused and distressed” and said he had lost his sense of knowing where he was because he still had to pick up his girlfriend.
The trial continues.
