Anthony Gilheaney is on trial at the Old Bailey
A man who was allegedly hit and assaulted by an angry drunk driver on Christmas Day has told a trial he would have been killed had his friend not saved him.
Anthony Gilheaney, 30, is on trial at the Old Bailey accused of leaving a “trail of carnage” in London’s West End in the early hours of December 25 2024, in a series of drink-fuelled attacks that claimed the life of 25-year-old Aidan Chapman and left four others injured.
The first victim, Arif Khan, told jurors Gilheaney attacked him on Archer Street, calling him a “P***” before reversing his car into him and knocking him to the ground.
Mr Khan, giving evidence on Wednesday, said: “He tried to crash into me.
“I was out cold.
“I’m lucky my friend was there to save my life, otherwise he would have killed me, and I wouldn’t be here today.”
Jurors were previously shown CCTV footage of the incident in which Mr Khan can be seen standing behind the Mercedes before it reverses and knocks him to the ground.
Mr Khan’s friend Benjamin Asante, who was with him and witnessed the crash, rushes to pull Mr Khan back onto the pavement and out of the road.
Gilheaney then allegedly got out of the car and began to chase Mr Khan before striking him with an object.
Mr Khan said: “He got out of the car, I managed to get myself up and I tried to run away from him around a parked car.
“I fell over because my head was still a bit… I was not all there.
“After that he was trying to attack me and he was trying to get to me, but my friend was there to stop him from getting to me.
“I remember he hit me with something, I fell over.
“The rest is pretty much a blur for me – I was confused.”
Mr Khan was taken to University College Hospital where he was found to have a full-thickness wound to his scalp that was 5cm long and 3mm deep.
Police later recovered the handle and the removable shaft of a Phillips screwdriver at the scene, with a DNA profile that matched that of the defendant, jurors were previously told.
Mr Khan, who gave evidence behind a screen and appeared nervous, became angry during cross-examination after Gilheaney’s defence lawyer suggested the pair knew each other because Gilheaney owed him drug money.
“I don’t know the kid from anywhere, he’s got nothing to do with me,” Mr Khan replied.
Following the attack on Mr Khan, Gilheaney went on to hit a gay couple who were walking back from Midnight Mass, before he crashed into Aidan Chapman and his friend Tyrone Ithoro as they crossed the road in Shaftesbury Avenue, jurors were previously told.
Prosecution alleges the attacks on Mr Khan and the couple – Miguel Waihrich and Marcelo Basbus-Garcia – were racist and homophobic.
Gilheaney denies one count of murder, one count of wounding with intent, three counts of attempted murder, two counts of causing grievous bodily harm with intent, and one count of attempting to cause grievous bodily harm.
The trial continues.
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