- Anthony Gilheaney (right) Aidan’s murderer
BY OUR CRIME REPORTER
LONDON – A COLD-BLOODED killer who used his car as a “weapon” to mow down innocent pedestrians on Christmas Day has been jailed for life.
Anthony Gilheaney, 31, was sentenced at the Old Bailey yesterday to a minimum of 37 years behind bar for the “appalling” drunken rampage that claimed the life of 25-year-old Aidan Chapman.
The court heard how Gilheaney, from Harlow, went on a terrifying spree of violence in London’s West End in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024.
The horror began at 12:45 AM after Gilheaney was kicked out of a nightclub on Shaftesbury Avenue. Driven by “rage and alcohol,” he:
Punched two people outside the club.
Hurled racial abuse at a passerby.
Mowed down his first victim after deliberately driving into them.
Targeted four more men, aged 23 to 58, causing serious injuries.
The massacre peaked when Gilheaney mounted the pavement on Shaftesbury Avenue, smashing into members of the public. Among them was Aidan Chapman, who died from his injuries on New Year’s Eve.
Aidan’s devastated family spoke of the “hellish trauma” caused by Gilheaney’s “evil actions.”
In a heartbreaking statement, they said: “No amount of justice or prison time will ever be enough.
Gilheaney has taken the best part of us. He has left us with a dark void in our lives that can never be filled. He took our only son.”
’NO MEMORY’
Despite the carnage being caught on “vital” dashcam and CCTV footage—showing him driving at speed and mounting pavements—cowardly Gilheaney claimed he had “no memory” of the night.
DI Stephanie Dexter of the Met Police slammed the killer, stating: “While Gilheaney has sought to portray himself as a victim, the court has heard that his actions were deliberate and fuelled by rage.”
Gilheaney was convicted of murder, attempted murder, and wounding with intent. He was also found to be driving while disqualified and in possession of a blade.
