Man accused of killing student Daniel Anjorin during Hainault shooting appears in court

A suspected samurai sword-wielding attacker who is said to have killed a 14-year-old student during a 20-minute rampage will have to stand trial next year, a court has heard.

Marcus Arduini Monzo is said to have attacked Daniel Anjorin from behind and slashed him in the neck and chest on his way to school.

Monzo, 36, is also alleged to have attacked four other people, including two police officers, in a series of incidents that lasted more than 20 minutes in Hainault, north-east London, on April 30.

On Monday, the bearded defendant appeared via video link from custody at the Old Bailey for a hearing before Judge Mark Lucraft KC.

The Spanish-Brazilian national, who lives in Newham, east London, faces 10 charges but was not asked to confess and spoke only to confirm his identity.

He is accused of the murder of Daniel, the attempted murder of Donato Iwule, Sindy Arias, Henry De Los Rios Polania and PC Yasmin Margaret Mechem-Whitfield, and the intentional assault of Inspector Moloy Campbell.

He is also charged with aggravated burglary, possession of a bladed article in connection with a kitchen knife, and two counts of possession of offensive weapons, a katana sword and a tanto katana sword.

During the hearing, Monzo confirmed his identity and Judge Lucraft confirmed a tentative trial date of February 3 next year, with an estimated duration of up to four weeks.

The judge scheduled another case hearing for Friday, December 6, and ordered additional detention for Monzo.

The court previously heard that Monzo is accused of driving a van into a fence in Laing Close shortly before 7am on 30 April, hitting Mr Iwule.

He then allegedly attacked Daniel from behind, slit his throat and stabbed him in the chest while he was lying on the ground.

As police rushed to the teenager's aid, Monzo is said to have jumped out of a bush and chased them. He is said to have jumped out at PC Mechem-Whitfield and caused “serious injuries”.

The accused then crossed several gardens before entering the house of Mr De Los Rios Polania and Mrs Arias, who were asleep at the time.

A second officer, Inspector Campbell, was stabbed with a sword while attempting to arrest the accused, it is said.