The father of a young boy who was killed in a 20-minute attack with a samurai sword shared the heartbreaking moment when he found his son seriously hurt. He also expressed the deep pain and suffering his family is going through.
At just 14 years old, Daniel Anjorin was fatally wounded by Marcus Monzo, 37, who was under the influence of drugs. Monzo, believing he was a character from a movie, targeted Daniel while he was on his way to school. The attack also left four other people injured.
After consuming cannabis, which triggered a psychotic episode, the Brazilian man yelled out about God’s existence while assaulting four strangers following Daniel’s tragic killing in Hainault, East London.
Dr Ebenezer Anjorin, Daniel’s father, spoke of the grief which had ripped his family apart in a victim impact statement read at Monzo’s sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey today.
In a statement read to the court by prosecutor Tom Little KC, he said: ‘On April 30 at approximately 7am Daniel left for school. At approximately 7.15am I was informed by my eldest son that Daniel had been stabbed on the road near our house.
‘I ran outside of the house and just across the road I saw a hunched-up body by the side on the road.
‘I did not realise that it was Daniel at first but as I got closer, I recognised the school sports clothes and saw his face.
‘He was lying in a pool of blood and had a deep cut to his face running from the side of his mouth to the back of his neck. He was motionless.
‘I knew at once that he was dead, but I reached down called his name and held his head.’
Daniel Anjorin was a student at Bancroft School, which was also attended by Nottingham stabbing victim Grace O’Malley-Kumar
Marcus Monzo: The amateur musician believed he was a character from The Hunger Games
Dr Anjorin said he rang his wife to tell her what had happened and saw her collapse screaming as she saw paramedics treating her son. They were then told by the paramedic that their son’s condition was critical and he was unlikely to survive.
‘I cannot begin to describe the pain and anguish we as a family feel at the loss of Daniel,’ he said.
‘Daniel was a much-loved son and brother to two siblings. All three siblings had a close relationship with each other and there was an age gap of only four years between all three of them.’
He described Daniel as a talented student who had recently been chosen as part of a select group to visit Cambridge University to learn about the application process.
Dr Anjorin described his family’s devastation that they will never be able to see Daniel grow up when he had ‘so much potential to excel in so many areas’.
He said: ‘As a family, we had made sacrifices to ensure that Daniel and his siblings had a good education and went to good schools.
‘Daniel was very gifted academically. Daniel also enjoyed sport and played football, rugby, hockey, and cricket. He also enjoyed played the violin and piano and had reached grade six in violin and grade five in piano. He enjoyed school and had a good circle of friends.’
‘We will not see Daniel obtain his GCSEs, A levels or go to university. Daniel had so much potential to excel in so many areas, he could have been a great scientist, financier, or business founder. We will not see him get married or have children,’ he said.
‘All the normal things that parents hope for their children. All these hopes and aspirations have been cruelly snatched away from us through the wicked actions of Marcus Monzo.’
Dr Ebenezer Anjorin, Daniel’s father, spoke of the grief which had ripped his family apart in a victim impact statement read at Monzo’s sentencing hearing at the Old Bailey today
Marcus Aurelio Arduini Monzo was arrested after a 20-minute rampage in Hainault
Monzo filmed himself unwrapping the sword he later used to kill Daniel Anjorin. Also in this image is his cat, Wizard, who he strangled, skinned and de-boned because he became convinced the pet would be the architect of Armageddon
He added: ‘As parents, one of the most painful aspects of Daniel’s murder is sometimes seeing the pain of Daniel’s loss in our children’s eyes knowing that they are thinking of him and missing him.
‘This situation is something that we would not wish on anyone. It has been the worst nightmare and experience of our lives. To have to go through the pain of losing a child in such a cruel and savage way. No family should have to go through this.’
His statement ended: ‘I ask you to please consider all the consequences and the suffering that we as a family have gone through, and continue to go through because of the actions of the defendant. I believe that Marcus Monzo is a danger to society.’
The Old Bailey heard the amateur musician believed he was a character from The Hunger Games, in which contestants fight to the death on a TV show.
A jury this week found him guilty of murder, attempted murder, aggravated burglary by entering a property with intent to cause grievous bodily harm, wounding with intent and having an article with a blade.
The court also heard statements from the other victims of the attack.
Donato Iwule, who was deliberately run down by Monzo before being slashed in the neck with the sword, said the attack had ‘profoundly disrupted my life on every level, physically, mentally emotionally and financially.’
He added: ‘It has changed how I live, how I feel and how I see the world around me.’
A female police officer, Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, pursued Monzo through a series of alleyways before he launched a ‘ferocious attack’, striking her three times.
She said in a statement: ‘The injuries I sustained during this incident have had a significant and permanent effect on my life which has taken away my independence…I will not be able to fulfill my current role as a response officer which is something I loved doing.’
Monzo was eventually cornered and subdued by police armed with Tasers
Social media photos show Monzo smiling and doing a thumbs-up with a collection of medals round his neck after winning a sports contest
The defence argued Monzo – seen here in a court sketch – had a pre-existing condition which made him vulnerable to psychotic episodes prompted by his use of cannabis
Monzo was eventually cornered and subdued by police armed with Tasers
I came face to face with Monzo – he spared me
Henry Polania came face to face with Monzo in his bedroom after the killer broke into his home.
He believes Monzo only spared their lives because his terrified four-year-old daughter began to cry.
Describing the moment he was confronted with the drug-crazed killer, Mr Polania told Sky News: ‘He grabbed the sword with both of his hands and went backwards with such force and tried to cut the head off my wife.
‘I was like I can’t let this happen. In my mind, I was like, I can’t let this happen. So I just tried to stop him.
‘I pulled my hands towards the blade and stop him. I tried to push the blade, but I couldn’t because it was too quick. How can I explain? It was like, that’s it.
‘I looked at my hand and it was all open. You could see my bones. I was bleeding, at the moment I thought oh my God, this is not a dream, this is real life. He’s going to kill us.’
Speaking to the BBC, he continued: ‘My little one started crying after she woke up, ‘Mama, Papa!’ I just started crying.
‘And then Monzo done two steps back because he wasn’t expecting the little one in the room.
‘And he just pointed the katana towards my little one’s face and then to Carolina and then to me.
‘And he said: ‘I’m just going to let you live, because of your little one.’ And he left.’
She continued: ‘My whole life is now based on not getting hurt and it doesn’t allow me to focus on anything else or enjoy my life.
‘There have been times I have been inside the house by myself uncontrollably crying because it feels like the life I had before has been taken away from me and I will never get it back.’
After attacking Pc Mechem-Whitfield, Monzo then charged into a nearby house and attacked couple Henry De Los Rios Polania and Sindy Arias in their bedroom, but their lives were spared when their four-year-old daughter woke up and started crying.
Mr Polania said in his statement: ‘It’s been over a year since the day that changed my life, over a year since I was attacked while I was sleeping and physically hurt, emotionally scarred and left with trauma I never asked for. Today, I stand here not just as a victim, but as a survivor who is still learning how to live again.’
He added: ‘I want the court to understand – this attack didn’t end when it was all over. I live with its consequences every single day, in my body, in my mind, in my finances, and in my future.’
Another officer who was injured as he ran to confront Monzo, Inspector Moloy Campbell, chose to read out his statement to the court himself.
He said: ‘When I challenged Mr Monzo, I knew it may be the last decision I would ever make, but one that had to be made. I briefly pictured my wife and step-daughter before engaging. It’s a horrible feeling, being in a confrontation which feels like a “him or me” situation.’
The officer soon lost consciousness due to blood loss.
‘When I came round, I thought we had achieved our goal: the preservation of life,’ he said.
‘I then learnt this was not the case. I have never had the wind knocked out of me like that moment, I felt I was being sucked down into my hospital bed. This feeling remained as I was wheeled off to surgery. I’m so sorry this happened.’
After he finished reading his statement, the officer was addressed by Mr Justice Bennathan, who said: ‘In my view, you can be incredibly proud of the bravery shown by your officers and yourself.’
Monzo began his rampage around 6.45am on April 30 last year using a van to mow down his first victim, Donald Iwule, who was walking to work when he was hit and catapulted into a nearby garden.
Jurors were shown CCTV of Mr Iwule screaming in agony shouting: ‘I don’t know you’ as Monzo approached on foot wielding the 60cm blade.
The Brazilian replied: ‘I don’t care, I will kill you’ as he swung towards the victim’s neck and torso before Mr Iwule managed to escape.
Monzo then encountered schoolboy Daniel.
A female police officer, Yasim Mechem-Whitfield, pursued Monzo through a series of alleyways before he launched a ‘ferocious attack’, striking her three times
The killer’s sword got so close to slashing Inspector Moloy Campbell’s chest that he cut off part of his body-word camera after he blocked the katana with his police-issue baton
Inspector Campbell, who fought Monzo face to face, today said he did not see himself as a hero after receiving a wound to his hand as he battled to disarm him
Mr Little, KC, previously told the court: ‘He was simply walking to school, minding his own business, looking forward to the day ahead. His life was snuffed out in an instant. In fact, most accurately, he was slain by the defendant.’
Monzo was said to have ‘moved quickly like a predator behind Daniel. He lifted the sword above his head, swung it downwards towards Daniel’s head and neck area. Daniel instantly fell to the ground.’
The attack was described as a ‘near decapitation’.
In mobile phone footage a woman can be heard saying: ‘F***, he just killed that boy, he just killed him right outside my house.’
Monzo’s rampage only ended when he was surrounded by officers in a garage area and tasered.
Mr Little said it was a ‘miracle’ that more people were not killed that day.
Chief Superintendent Stuart Bell, of the Met Police, said he was ‘incredibly proud’ of the officers’ response.
‘The scale and severity of the attack was intense and quite widespread and throughout the entire incident our officers responded with courage, placing their own safety second, trying to prevent harm to others first, showing great courage and bravery and teamwork to eventually detain Monzo.’
The footage was shown to jurors at The Old Bailey on Thursday
Speaking ahead of Monzo’s sentencing on Friday, Mr Bell paid tribute to the schoolboy who lost his life.
He said: ‘Daniel was universally described as a talented, gentle young man with great potential with a life ahead of him who was loved by so many.
‘His untimely death is a tragedy and words do not come close to describing how tragic, how random the events which befell Daniel were.
‘His family have been nothing but dignified, resilient and behaved with the most incredible courage and we are frankly in awe of them.
‘All we could do was try to bring some form of justice to Daniel and the family and now give them the space to move on and grieve.’
