The individual charged with the fatal stabbing of a 14-year-old boy during a series of sword attacks in east London demonstrated “a definite intent to kill,” according to a jury statement.

Marcus Monzo, 37, has pleaded not guilty to the murder of Daniel Anjorin, who was attacked while he was en route to school in Hainault at 07:00 BST on April 30 of the previous year.

In addition to the murder charge, Monzo faces allegations of assaulting five others, all of whom sustained significant injuries during the 20-minute incident. He has refuted a total of eight charges, which include four counts of attempted murder.

During the trial’s opening at the Old Bailey, it was revealed that Daniel had endured a “catastrophic and fatal injury to his face.”

Caution: the following content contains distressing details.

As he began the prosecution’s argument, Tom Little KC asserted that Mr. Monzo had “a clear intent to kill multiple individuals… regardless of their identity or age.”

Mr. Little highlighted that Daniel was unfamiliar with the defendant and was “just 14 years old.”

“He had simply left home and was on his way to school, minding his own affairs, eagerly anticipating the day ahead when his life was abruptly taken by the defendant.”

“His life was extinguished in an instant.”

The prosecutor emphasized: “He should have been able to walk to school without fear.”

Daniel was dressed in school sports attire and carried his school backpack, having donned headphones.

Mr. Little further explained to the court that Monzo must have spotted Daniel and stealthily approached him “like a predator.”

“He raised the sword above his head and then brought it down towards Daniel’s head and neck. Daniel collapsed immediately,” he stated.

The jury was later informed that on the same morning, Mr. Monzo forced his way into a couple’s home, entering their bedroom while they were asleep with their four-year-old daughter.

The prosecutor narrated: “Their bedroom door burst open and the defendant walked in holding what they described as a machete, which was actually the same sword.”

He yelled at them, asking, “Do you believe in God?”

“What transpired must have been utterly terrifying and bewildering,” Mr. Little remarked.

The jury learned that he continued to shout about God and assaulted the male resident with the sword, halting only when the couple’s daughter began to cry.

Footage from police body cameras displayed an officer struggling with the sword in an effort to disarm Monzo after he exited the house.

The jury also viewed ambulance video footage that appeared to show the defendant striking the vehicle with the sword.

When law enforcement arrived, the court heard that Monzo approached them while wielding the sword.

In further footage, police officers were seen repeatedly commanding him to drop the weapon while requesting backup.

The defendant then inquired several times if “anyone here believes in God.”

Officers were seen using pepper spray on Mr. Monzo, but he maintained his grip on the sword and fled, pursued by the police.

When he was apprehended on suspicion of murder, Monzo reacted to police inquiries by saying: “Allah, Allah will unite us all” and “God, God, will reunite us all,” according to court records.

During a police interview, he claimed that one of his personalities was a professional assassin.

A subsequent interview was cut short as he “didn’t seem to grasp his location or what was happening,” the prosecutor noted.

A police search of his residence uncovered a cat he had killed and skinned, along with a quantity of cannabis.

Mr. Little informed the court that Mr. Monzo’s actions were induced “by self-inflicted intoxication through drugs,” leading to a psychotic disorder.

He also indicated that the defense’s position was that the defendant was “likely experiencing a pre-existing condition that made him susceptible to psychotic episodes with symptoms resembling schizophrenia, triggered by his cannabis use.”

Additionally, Mr. Monzo denies charges of wounding with intent, aggravated burglary, and possession of an offensive weapon relating to a kitchen knife.

The trial is ongoing.