A schoolboy was nearly decapitated when he was attacked by a man wielding a samurai sword, a court has heard.

Marcus Monzo, 36, is accused of murdering Daniel Anjorin, 14, and injuring four others – including two police officers – in an attack in Hainault, northeast London, last Tuesday.

The Old Bailey was told Monzo allegedly ran up behind the teenager and slashed him in the neck and chest as he walked to school.

Tom Little, prosecuting, told the court Daniel was “largely decapitated” during the incident.

The cause of death was a “sharp force trauma to the head”, a post-mortem examination found.

Monzo, from Newham in east London, allegedly appeared from a bush and chased police officers as they tried to help Daniel.

One officer sustained “significant injuries”.

He appeared in the dock on Tuesday with four guards during a brief hearing and was told he will face a trial in February.

He wore a grey tracksuit and spoke only to confirm his name and date of birth. He did not ask for bail and was remanded in custody until another pre-trial hearing in July.

Monzo faces charges of murder, two attempted murders, two of grievous bodily harm, aggravated burglary and possession of a bladed article.

An 11-year-old girl was seen 30 times by medics over the course of three years before she was diagnosed with a brain tumour.

Tia Gordon, from Northampton, was told she was suffering from migraines and stomach bugs before she was admitted to hospital as an emergency when her condition started to affect her balance and ability to walk.

She underwent an emergency scan, which revealed she had a 3.5cm tumour on her brain.

Her mother, Imogen Darby, said Tia had been taken to GPs, A&E and was assessed by NHS 111 and also had her glasses prescription changed four times before the tumour was spotted.

She said: “Over more than three years, I took Tia to doctors, she was refused MRIs, she was refused to be seen by emergency paediatrics, I called 111, I went to A&E, she had her glasses changed four times, she was given medication and she had a consultant, but it took for her to be unable to walk for her to get the care she needed.”

Ms Darby first noticed Tia’s symptoms during the COVID lockdown in March 2020 when her daughter started being sick.

She was sick every few months, then monthly, then more frequently.

In the few months before the diagnosis, Tia was taken to the GP around 10 times and her mother called NHS 111 around three times.

When she took her to A&E, Ms Darby was told she had a stomach bug and to “kind of just leave her to it”.

But Tia then started “holding her neck funny”. Doctors, however, said it was stiff “from sleeping on it”.

By that point, Ms Darby had managed to get a paediatrics appointment and explained about Tia’s neck. She was referred for physio.

Ms Darby felt something was still wrong with the way Tia was holding her neck, but a consultant said it would be months for an MRI for “peace of mind”.

Tia’s condition began to deteriorate, with her being sick most mornings and vomiting every day between November 2023 to January 2024.

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In the few days before the diagnosis, Tia’s school phoned to say she was holding her neck strangely and was a bit off balance.

She was taken to Northampton General hospital, where she was unable to walk in a straight line.

A CT scan revealed Tia’s tumour, which is a pilocytic astrocytoma – the most common type of childhood brain tumour. An ambulance was called to take her to Queen’s Medical Centre in Nottingham.

Tia was operated on over a 10-hour period and the benign tumour was removed.

“It was quite a horrendous day,” Ms Darby said. “From the surgery, they managed to get 96% of it out.”

Tia will have an MRI scan every three months for the next five years and is undergoing physiotherapy, as well as having regular meetings with neurologists.

Meanwhile, Tia is keen to get back to her activities.

“We all call her Dr Doolittle, she absolutely loves anything to do with animals,” Ms Darby said.

Cameron Miller, director of external affairs and strategy at the Brain Tumour Charity, said: “For many brain tumour patients, it simply takes too long to be diagnosed – and this is one of the reasons why we’re calling for a National Brain Tumour Strategy.”

The mother of one of the Manchester Arena bombing victims will begin a 200-mile walk from the spot her son was killed to Downing Street to demand stronger protections against terrorism.

Martyn’s law, named after 29-year-old Martyn Hett, who was one of 22 people killed in the attack at the end of an Ariana Grande concert in May 2017, would require venues and local authorities in the UK to have training requirements and preventative plans against terror attacks.

Figen Murray, Mr Hett’s mother, who has campaigned for the introduction of the law, will be joined by family and friends, politicians, security industry experts and members of the public over the 16-day walk.

She will arrive at Downing Street on 22 May, the seventh anniversary of her son’s death.

Ms Murray said her “life changed overnight” when her son was killed.

“Martyn’s death could have been avoided if there were basic security measures in place that night and that is why I have been tirelessly campaigning to ensure no parent experiences the pain and loss that I endure daily,” she said.

This morning she will be joined by Greater Manchester mayor Andy Burnham and former counter-terrorism police chief Nick Aldworth, as well as Mr Hett’s friends, at the AO Arena in central Manchester.

She will then begin the 186-mile walk to Downing Street, visiting memorials to victims of terror attacks along the way to pay her respects.

“I am walking from the spot where my son died to 10 Downing Street to remind the prime minister of his commitment to introduce legislation that will improve security and protections at public venues,” Ms Murray said.

“The campaign for Martyn’s Law has already been a long journey, I hope this walk is the final leg. All I am asking is for the PM to keep his promise.”

Read more:
Injured survivors from Manchester Arena bombing suing MI5
Could MI5 have prevented Manchester bombing?
The security failings at Manchester Arena

Ms Murray has written to Rishi Sunak to ask him to meet her when she arrives at Downing Street.

She also called on him to name a date when Martyn’s Law, which was a commitment on the Conservative manifesto in 2019 but has yet to get beyond the draft stage, will come to the House of Commons.