A Tragic Day in Hainault: The Recount of a Fatal Rampage

In the tranquil morning of 30 April 2024, 14-year-old Daniel Anjorin, clad in his school uniform and donning a rucksack, bid farewell to his mother as he stepped out of his family home in Hainault. Minutes later, his life was tragically cut short by 37-year-old Marcus Monzo, who fatally struck him with a 60cm sword, inflicting gruesome injuries to his face and neck.

The Brazilian-Spanish national was later found guilty of Daniel's murder at the Old Bailey. The rampage that ensued over the subsequent 20 minutes left a trail of chaos and terror in its wake. Monzo was also found guilty of attempting to murder local residents Donato Iwule and Sindy Arias, as well as PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield.

The body-worn camera footage from the police officers depicted the extraordinary bravery they displayed as they attempted to disarm Monzo, sustaining serious injuries in the process.

Monzo started his rampage by driving his van directly into Donato Iwule, who was making his way to work. This was captured on a doorbell camera. Iwule was catapulted into the air, his piercing screams shattering the peace of the morning. Iwule shouted that he did not know his attacker as Monzo, armed with the sword, chased him down the street, saying, "I don't care, I will kill you."

Monzo moved swiftly, like a predator, and swiftly caught up with Daniel before lifting the sword above his head and swinging it downwards towards his head and neck area. As Daniel's body lay motionless in the middle of the road, Monzo was seen dragging him. A woman exclaimed in shock, "he's just killed that boy."

An ambulance arrived to attempt to treat the schoolboy, but Monzo attacked the vehicle with his sword, causing the paramedics to retreat in fear. The police officers soon arrived, shouting, "drop the sword, drop the sword" as they stood toe-to-toe with Monzo. Pepper spray proved ineffective, and as Monzo shouted, "does anybody here believe in God?", they chased him down an alleyway.

The police body camera footage showed the harrowing pursuit that ensued, with PC Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield leading the charge. When she reached the end of the alleyway, Monzo jumped out and slashed her three times with the sword. She fell to the ground bleeding as her colleague, PC Cameron King, screamed "police officer stabbed, police officer stabbed, Yas has been stabbed."

Henry De Los Rios Polania and his family were fast asleep when Monzo burst into their bedroom. In a terrifying conversation, he repeatedly asked them if they believed in God and then slashed Mr. De Los Rios Polania with the sword as he raised his arm to protect his wife. When their daughter started crying, Monzo said he would spare their lives and walked out of the house, leaving Mr. De Los Rios Polania with serious injuries to his hand.

Inspector Moloy Campbell fought Monzo with his baton as shown by this bodycam footage. Despite the injury to their colleague, the police officers ran towards Monzo as he appeared to be cornered by a set of garages. In an extraordinary police video, which bore a striking resemblance to hand-to-hand combat, Inspector Moloy Campbell raised his baton as Monzo brought down his sword, attempting to slash him. The police baton and Monzo's sword clashed twice as Inspector Campbell tried to defend himself and disarm Monzo.

"Monzo was slashing at me with a large sword," Inspector Campbell said. "I saw my hand was open - I could see the inside of my hand." Eventually, officers fired a number of Tasers at Monzo and managed to arrest him, removing the sword that had caused so much bloodshed.

During a police interview, Monzo claimed his personality had switched, and he compared the events to the movie The Hunger Games. He also told police that he had "many personalities" and that one of them was a "professional assassin." Monzo, who grew up in Brazil and moved to England in 2013, gave evidence in court. He spoke in a calm manner - occasionally weeping - and while he admitted attacking people with the sword in Hainault, he insisted he could not remember doing so, claiming everything about the day was confused in his mind.

Monzo was a martial arts enthusiast who believed in conspiracy theories, including that the earth was flat. He denied the 9/11 attacks on New York and posted on social media claims that were antisemitic and promoted conspiracy theories. His brother said he had changed after attending retreats in India and the Amazon where he drank ayahuasca, a hallucinogenic tea.

Marcus Monzo, who faced trial in 2025, will be sentenced on a later date. The tragic events of that fateful day in Hainault continue to reverberate through the community, leaving a trail of grief and despair in their wake.