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Anthony Gilheaney. Photograph: Metropolitan police service<\/p>\nA man who turned his car into a weapon as he launched a series of hate-filled homophobic and racist attacks on Christmas Day last year in central London has been convicted of murder.<\/p>\n
Anthony Gilheaney, 31, was drunk when he mounted the pavement with his Mercedes and repeatedly targeted people to run over.<\/p>\n
He was convicted of the murder of Aiden Chapman, 25, who sustained catastrophic brain injuries after being struck by Gilheaney\u2019s car. A couple on their way home from midnight mass were also attacked in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024 in London\u2019s West End.<\/p>\n
Aiden Chapman. Photograph: Family\/PA<\/p>\n
The jury was told of desperate scenes, terror and heroism as one man shielded his partner from being struck by the car with his own body.<\/p>\n
Four other people were seriously injured, with the rampage ending only when Gilheaney, who drove at more than 100mph to elude police, crashed his car.<\/p>\n
Gilheaney, who is British, was found guilty of Chapman\u2019s murder, one count of wounding with intent, two counts of attempted murder, and one count of causing grievous bodily harm, after a trial at the Old Bailey.<\/p>\n
His car struck Marcelo Basbus-Garcia after reversing into him at high speed, and he also drove at Miguel Waihrich while he was tending to his injured partner, Basbus-Garcia. Waihrich told jurors he had made eye contact with Gilheaney as he drove at them a second time, while Basbus-Garcia was unconscious and \u201ccovered in blood\u201d.<\/p>\n
Waihrich said: \u201cI remember his eyes and the position of his hands on the wheel, I remember his face and me crying for him to stop, and he didn\u2019t stop.\u201d<\/p>\n
The couple had been to midnight mass in Piccadilly and were on Great Windmill Street when they saw Gilheaney shouting, naked from the waist up, in the middle of the road. Gilheaney got in his car and drove off, then returned and headed towards the couple.<\/p>\n
Waihrich told the court: \u201cIt was very high speed, the way he reversed. It was so fast every person in that street was in panic \u2013 we started to run.\u201d<\/p>\n
People ran for their lives as Basbus-Garcia was knocked to the ground. He told the Old Bailey: \u201cThe car came after me \u2013 but it would be fair to say that he [Gilheaney] was after everybody in that street. The last thing I remember was being hit by the car. The last thing I remember, actually, is being terrified.\u201d<\/p>\n
Waihrich ran over to his partner, who was bleeding and unconscious, and saw the car returning. He told the court: \u201cHe [Gilheaney] stopped and looked at me. He is coming in my direction, I try to make signs, gesture and say: \u2018Stop it, please.\u2019 The car doesn\u2019t stop and accelerated towards us, and I decided to protect Marcelo\u2019s head with my body as a shield. I\u2019m just counting the seconds before the final attack.\u201d<\/p>\n
The prosecutor, Crispin Aylett KC, said the attack on Waihrich and Basbus-Garcia was \u201cclearly a homophobic attack\u201d. Afterwards, Gilheaney ploughed into Chapman and his friend Tyrone Itorho as they crossed Shaftesbury Avenue.<\/p>\n
Anthony Gilheaney. Photograph: Metropolitan police service<\/p>\n