Man jailed for life for killing a man in drink-fuelled rampage on Christmas day
Antony Gilheaney was convicted of murder, attempted murder and wounding with intent
Last updated 9 hours ago
A driver who killed a man and injured several others on Christmas day has been sentenced to life with a minimum of 37 years.
Antony Gilheaney was found guilty of a number of charges including murder after he drove his car into people on Shaftsbury Avenue in the early hours of Christmas Day 2024.
Police and the London Ambulance Service were called to the scene, where four pedestrians were found injured and taken to hospital.
25-yer-old Aiden Chapman died of his injuries on New Years Eve.
Antony Gilheaney was located by City of London police in Lincoln's Inn Fields around 20 minutes after the crash and was arrested.
CCTV from earlier that night showed Gilheaney inside a nightclub on Shaftesbury Avenue before he was asked to leave by staff.
He then got into an argument with people outside the club, where he punched two people.
Gilheaney then returned to his car parked on Archer Street, where he began to racially abuse another member of the public before getting into his car and driving into him.
He then continued to drive his car into several members of the public, resulting in Aiden Chapman's death and serious injuries on 3 others.
**_‘I didn’t mean to kill an innocent man’_**
Following Gilheaney's conviction on the 19th od December 2025, Aiden Chapman’s family paid tribute to him and thanked the investigation team, saying: “No parent should have to go through the hellish trauma of losing a child, words cannot describe the pain and anguish Anthony Gilheaney has caused us by his evil actions.
“No amount of justice or prison time will ever be enough to compensate for our loss.
“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 from us. Something we will never get over. Something we will never forgive.
“We would like to thank the investigation team for their hard work and professionalism in bringing Gilheaney to justice but also thank them for their support and genuine compassion during this very traumatic time.”
As he was sentence, the defendant yelled out ‘I didn’t mean to kill an innocent man’