A driver who killed one man and injured four others during a drink-fuelled "rampage" in London's West End on Christmas Day has been convicted of murder. Anthony Gilheaney, 31, used his high-powered Mercedes as a weapon to launch a series of unprovoked attacks in the early hours of December 25, 2024.

The trial at the Old Bailey heard how Gilheaney targeted pedestrians for "racist and homophobic reasons," ultimately killing 25-year-old Aidan Chapman. On Friday, a jury found Gilheaney guilty of murdering Mr Chapman, the attempted murder of Marcelo Basbus-Garcia and Tyrone Itorho, and wounding Arif Khan with intent. He was cleared of attempting to murder Miguel Waihrich, but convicted of the alternative charge of causing him grievous bodily harm with intent.

The defendant, from Harlow, Essex, had already admitted manslaughter and lesser assault charges late in the trial, but had denied the more serious counts of murder and attempted murder.

The court heard that after leaving a nightclub, Gilheaney punched two strangers and launched an unprovoked attack on Hardeep Singh, a Sikh man, on Shaftesbury Avenue.

He then got into his car and shouted racial slurs at Arif Khan. When Mr Khan confronted him, Gilheaney mowed him down, reversed over him, and then got out of the vehicle to kick him while he was on the ground.

After a brief physical altercation with Mr Singh’s friends, Gilheaney returned to his Mercedes, rammed an Uber, and began driving "up and down the street," mounting kerbs and forcing pedestrians to dive for cover.

He deliberately drove at Mr Basbus-Garcia and Mr Waihrich as they walked home from midnight mass holding hands. He then ploughed into Mr Chapman and Mr Itorho further down Shaftesbury Avenue. Mr Chapman suffered catastrophic brain damage and died in hospital on New Year’s Eve.

Following a police chase, Gilheaney jumped from his moving car and fled on foot, leaving the vehicle to crash into a signpost. Officers later found him passed out in Lincoln’s Inn Fields. While initially tearful and apologetic—telling officers "I am guilty"—he later claimed in formal interviews that he could not remember the incident.

Giving evidence, Gilheaney admitted he had never held a driving licence but "always" liked driving powerful cars, often using false plates to evade police. He claimed he was not in control of the vehicle during the attacks, alleging his vape had been spiked with cannabis. He admitted his driving history was "shocking" and that he had consumed at least six vodka cocktails before getting behind the wheel.

Gilheaney will be sentenced on January 30.