The United Kingdom court has fixed June 3, 2025, for the trial of Marcus Monzo, a 37-year-old Spanish-Brazilian man accused of murdering 14-year-old Nigerian student Daniel Anjorin in a brutal knife attack in Hainault, North-East London.
The Central Criminal Court of England and Wales, popularly known as the Old Bailey, will hear the case against Monzo, who allegedly attacked Anjorin with two Japanese swords while the teenager was on his way to school on April 30, 2024. The boy suffered fatal wounds to the chest and neck and later died in hospital.
British media reports, including the Daily Mail, state that Monzo also assaulted four other individuals which includes Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry Polania, and Yasmin Mechem-Whitfield during a 20-minute rampage. He is further accused of injuring police inspector Moloy Campbell with intent to cause serious harm.
During his court appearance on Friday, Monzo pleaded not guilty to eight of the 10 charges brought against him. He denied murder, four counts of attempted murder, assaulting a police officer, aggravated burglary, and possession of a bladed article. However, he admitted to two charges related to carrying offensive weapons: a katana and a tanto katana sword.
The incident began when Monzo reportedly crashed a van into a fence on Laing Close, striking a pedestrian, Iwule. He was then seen wielding a sword and attacking bystanders, including Anjorin.
The case has drawn widespread condemnation and renewed concern about knife violence in the UK.