Man who murdered boy with sword jailed for 38 years

A man has been jailed for life after being convicted of murdering a 14-year-old schoolboy with a samurai sword in east London.

Marcus Monzo fatally wounded Daniel Anjorin minutes after the schoolboy left his home in Hainault on 30 April last year. The 37-year-old also injured five more people, including two police officers, during a 20-minute rampage.

Passing sentence at the Old Bailey, Judge Mr Justice Bennathan said Monzo inflicted an "unsurvivable wound" on Daniel.

He ordered Monzo to serve at least 38 years in prison. Speaking after the hearing, Daniel's family said they felt "justice had been served".

Grace and Dr Ebenezer Anjorin said: "This has been a painful and traumatic chapter in our lives.

"No verdict or sentence will bring back our son Daniel who we loved so dearly.

"Daniel was taken from us in a way that no family should ever have to endure.

"His life had so much potential ahead, he was gifted academically, was kind and had a generous spirit that touched everyone who knew him. We carry that light with us, even in this dark time."

At the Old Bailey, the judge told Monzo: "Your choosing to consume cannabis over months and days was the dominant cause of your state that day.

"You had some warning of its adverse effect on you, you knew it made you paranoid and at least led to panic attacks."

He added that the sentence was mitigated by the defendant's "previous good character" but that this was limited due to his use of "unlawful drugs over the years".

On Wednesday, Monzo was found guilty by jurors at the Old Bailey of murdering the Woodford Green schoolboy.

Monzo, a Brazilian-Spanish national, was also convicted of attempting to murder local residents Donato Iwule and Sindy Arias, as well as PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield, in a 20-minute rampage last April.

He was convicted of wounding with intent against Insp Moloy Campbell and Ms Arias's husband Henry De Los Rios Polania.

Body-worn camera footage from the police was played to the court and showed officers trying to disarm Monzo and suffering serious injuries as a result.

Witnesses described the former Amazon delivery driver screaming "in delight" and smiling after fatally wounding Daniel, who had been walking to school in his PE kit, wearing his headphones.

During the trial, prosecutor Tom Little KC told jurors it was "miraculous" that more people were not killed as Monzo slashed and chopped at whoever he came across over the next 20 minutes.

In the hours before his rampage, on 30 April last year, Monzo had also killed and skinned his pet cat Wizard.

PC Mechem-Whitfield was hit three times with the 60cm-long blade with "extreme force" as she chased Monzo through alleyways and residential properties.

Next he entered a property and attacked a couple who were sleeping in an upstairs bedroom with their young daughter nearby.

Monzo demanded to know if they believed in God, before he left the property.

Insp Campbell told the BBC how he tried to detain Monzo in a car park and received a slash wound to his hand.

Monzo then climbed on to the roof of a garage before he was finally apprehended.

Following his arrest, Monzo claimed his personality had switched and that "something happened, like a game happening".

Monzo likened events to the Hollywood film The Hunger Games and claimed to have an alternative persona of a "professional assassin".

Giving evidence at his trial, he said he had no memory of what happened and claimed his mental state had diminished his responsibility for the crimes.

However, prosecutors argued that psychosis brought on by self-induced intoxication was no defence for murder.

Even though Monzo admitted he had drunk a hallucinogenic tea called ayahuasca, no trace of DMT - the class A drug in the drink - was detected in his system.

A victim impact statement on behalf of Daniel's father was read out before the sentence was passed.

Recalling the morning Daniel was killed, Dr Anjorin said his son left for school at 07:00 BST and 15 minutes later he was told Daniel had been stabbed.

"I ran outside the house and just across the road I saw a hunched-up body by the side of the road," Dr Anjorin said.

"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."

The court also heard statements from Insp Campbell, Mr De Los Rios Polania and PC Mechem-Whitfield.

Mr De Los Rios Polania, who tried to shield his family after Monzo burst into their home, told the BBC he had spent the last year unable to work, just trying to recover.

"All I can say is, I'm surviving," he said.

Monzo's defence barrister told the court that the defendant had sent a letter to the judge.

Ian Henderson KC said: "No matter what was in that letter, it couldn't even begin to scratch the surface. The letter is a combination of remorse, bewilderment and non-comprehension.

"If he could turn back the clock, he would."

Reacting to the guilty verdicts on Wednesday, Met Police Commissioner Sir Mark Rowley said he hoped the verdict "brings some small semblance of justice and closure" to Daniel's loved ones.

Sir Mark also praised the "extraordinary bravery" and "relentless courage" of the officers who responded to the rampage.