Live: Brompton knifeman faces justice for army officer attack

🔴 LIVE: BROMPTON KNIFEMAN FACES JUSTICE FOR ARMY OFFICER ATTACK

Live from Maidstone Crown Court

We are providing live coverage as the sentencing of Anthony Esan, 25, is set to begin. Esan has admitted to the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton, a serving officer with the Royal School of Military Engineering, following a daylight attack near Brompton Barracks in July 2024.

The proceedings are expected to take place over the next three days, concluding a case that has seen significant delays due to the defendant's psychiatric status. The court will ultimately determine the appropriate level of culpability and the necessary measures for public protection, balancing the severity of the "frenzied" assault against the defendant's mental health history.

Lieutenant Colonel Teeton and his wife, Eileen, are expected to be present as the sentencing exercise commences. The High Court must now decide whether a custodial sentence or a specialized hospital order is the most appropriate disposal for the 25-year-old.

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Key Events

Live from court reporting by Ben Freeman and editing by Jason King at Maidstone Crown Court ⬇️

4:05pm 🔴 JUDGE TO DELIVER SENTENCE

Mr Justice Picken will determine Esan’s sentence & place of detention after thorough consideration; ruling may not be until Thursday.

The Sentencing continues tomorrow… ⬇️

🔴 FAMILY LEFT COURTROOM

As footage of the attack was played in court, Lt Col Teeton’s daughters left the courtroom ⬇️

🔴 MULTIPLE KNIVES USED

During the incident Esan used two knives to stab Teeton; witnesses saw one or two knives, which he dropped at the end ⬇️

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🔴 PURSUIT AFTER INITIAL ATTACK

Teeton managed to get up and move away; Esan, dissatisfied, pursued him down the road & continued stabbing ⬇️

🔴 DASHCAM FOOTAGE SHOWN

Dashboard camera footage captured Esan stabbing Teeton repeatedly; Teeton shouted “Police” and kicked out to defend himself ⬇️

🔴 ATTACK BEGAN DURING DISTRACTION

As Teeton was distracted, Esan moved in & began stabbing him repeatedly; the assault was sustained & vicious ⬇️

🔴 DECEPTION USED ON VICTIM

Esan approached Lt Col Teeton asking for his phone, claiming his moped had broken down; Teeton offered to enter the number himself ⬇️

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🔴 ATTACK SEQUENCE CAPTURED

At 5:52pm Esan parked his moped, removed his helmet but kept his balaclava on, opened the moped compartment, & prepared two knives ⬇️

🔴 PROSECUTION: TARGETING SOLDIERS

The prosecution submits Esan was looking for a potential target in uniform & knew the area well by 23 July 2024 ⬇️

🔴 PRE-ATTACK RECONNAISSANCE

Esan travelled to the Brompton area several times before the attack, circling & familiarising himself with the location ⬇️

🔴 KNIFE SET PURCHASE ISSUE NOTED

A worker assisted Esan at the self-service machine because buying the knife set required ID; two knives were removed from a set of five ⬇️

🔴 ESAN BOUGHT KNIVES FROM ARGOS

The prosecution said Esan purchased the knives used in the attack from Argos in Strood on 19 July 2024 after research as early as 3 July ⬇️

🔴 CHRONIC ILLNESS WITH LIMITED RECOVERY

Prof Blackwood described Esan’s condition as a chronic major mental illness, with limited recovery in the last 18 months & poor prospect of further improvement ⬇️

🔴 MURDEROUS FANTASIES EMERGED

In 2023 Esan began experiencing murderous fantasies; his internet searches were psychologically informed & he played Cyberpunk ⬇️

🔴 MOTHER LOCKED DOORS FOR PROTECTION

Esan’s mother was so afraid she locked her bedroom, living room & kitchen doors, linking his knife interest to aggressive music & YouTube ⬇️

🔴 MOTHER FEARED FOR SAFETY IN 2023

In January 2023, Esan’s mother discovered a bag containing knives, felt unsafe, & believed he should not be treated in the community ⬇️

🔴 FAMILY RAISED CONCERNS IN 2022

When the family moved to Medway in 2022, they highlighted concerns of undertreatment; medication was increased but compliance was not assured ⬇️

🔴 PROF BLACKWOOD: UNDERTREATED

Professor Blackwood said Esan was undertreated at the time and remained psychotic despite community mental health intervention ⬇️

🔴 SEVERE DELUSIONS IN 2021

By September 2021, Esan’s reality distortion was so severe he believed a robot was inside him & required surgery to remove an alien ⬇️

🔴 ESAN’S MENTAL HEALTH DECLINE DETAILED

The court heard Esan’s mental health deteriorated in 2020, with hallucinations & voices beginning in 2021 ⬇️

🔴 ESAN’S DELUSIONAL BELIEFS DESCRIBED

The court heard that since mid-last year Esan has said he felt he was in the film Kingsman &the video game Cyberpunk, believing his role was to “DELIVER & SHOOT” ⬇️

🔴 REJECTION FROM MILITARY CITED AS FACTOR

Dr Nabi said the belief is based on Esan’s argument with his brother, his repeated rejections from the military, & later references to being in the film Kingsman, which features soldiers ⬇️

🔴 CONSULTANT BELIEVES SOLDIER WAS SOUGHT

Dr Saji Nabi, consultant forensic psychiatrist treating Esan at Broadmoor Hospital, told the court she believes it is more likely Esan went out looking for a soldier to stab ⬇️

🔴 ESAN LATER CLAIMS RANDOM TARGET

Esan has since stated the target could have been anyone, but the prosecution maintains he specifically targeted Lt Col Teeton because of his appearance as a soldier ⬇️

🔴 ESAN TOLD DOCTOR OF BROTHER ARGUMENT

The court heard that two days after the stabbing, Esan told a doctor at Belmarsh prison his brother was in the Army, they argued, & he went looking for an officer to attack ⬇️

🔴 PRE-ATTACK SEARCHES INCLUDED LEE RIGBY

Esan searched for “Woolwich soldier murdered” (referring to Lee Rigby), knives, & TikTok videos of knife attacks in the lead-up to the stabbing ⬇️

🔴 MOTHER BELIEVED HE SHOULD NOT BE FREE

Esan’s mother told the court she believed he should not have been in the community; defence counsel said she felt he was influenced by horror movies & aggressive music ⬇️

🔴 ATTACK “PSYCHOSIS DRIVEN” – EXPERT

Prof Blackwood described the stabbing as “psychosis driven” and confirmed Esan has a severe mental disorder ⬇️

🔴 SCHIZOPHRENIA DIAGNOSIS AGREED

Experts agree Esan had schizophrenia at the time of the attack and remains psychotic, requiring lifelong treatment in secure psychiatric settings ⬇️

🔴 PROF BLACKWOOD: “HE TRIES TO MINIMISE”

Prof Blackwood said Esan “tries to minimise choosing an Army officer” and that he deliberately selected a soldier to enact his psychosis ⬇️

🔴 EXPERT: TARGET SELECTION NOT RANDOM

Forensic psychiatrist Prof Nigel Blackwood told the court he does not believe Esan’s claim that the target could have been anyone, stating Esan deliberately chose an Army officer ⬇️

🔴 ESAN MAKES REFERENCES AT ARREST

During arrest, Esan referred to the “day of the devil”, “Enoch”, “365 in a year”, & told officers his name means “karma” — terms he had searched online beforehand ⬇️

🔴 QUICK ARREST DUE TO WITNESS REPORTS

Esan was tracked rapidly because multiple witnesses reported his registration number, leading to his arrest shortly after the incident near Brompton Barracks ⬇️

🔴 ESAN BESIDE MOPED AFTER ATTACK

Footage shows Esan beside his moped parked on the road, which he used to travel to and from the attack on Lt Col Mark Teeton that occurred at 5:53pm ⬇️

🔴 ARREST FOOTAGE SHOWN IN COURT

Bodycam footage was played at Maidstone Crown Court showing Anthony Esan on his knees on the pavement, hands on his head, as officers pointed tasers before handcuffing him at 6:17pm on 23 July 2024 ⬇️

🔴 BROMPTON KNIFEMAN SENTENCING – DAY 2

We’re back for day 2 of the sentencing hearing of Anthony Esan, convicted of the attempted murder of Lt Col Mark Teeton at Maidstone Crown Court.

Follow our live court reporting on X here:

SENTENCING - DAY 2

4:30

🔴 COURT ADJOURNS AFTER HARROWING DAY OF EVIDENCE

Proceedings at Maidstone Crown Court have concluded for the day following emotional victim impact statements & expert psychiatric testimony.

The case resumes tomorrow morning as the sentencing process continues …

4:20 🔴 MOTHER RAISED ALARM OVER KNIVES

Maidstone Crown Court heard Esan's mother contacted out-of-hours services a year before the incident after discovering weapons.

Experts say this marked the beginning of his descent into violent ideation ⬇️

4:15

🔴 EXPERTS AGREE SCHIZOPHRENIA DIAGNOSIS

Medical experts have reached a consensus that Anthony Esan was suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the stabbing.

The court heard he gives an "impoverished account" for his behaviour ⬇️

4:05 🔴 MURDEROUS FANTASIES HELD FOR 18 MONTHS

Expert witness Professor Nigel Blackwood tells the court Esan began entertaining "murderous fantasies" 18 months before the attack, after his mother found knives in his bag in January 2023 ⬇️

4:00

🔴 “VICIOUS AND DELIBERATE” ATTACK

The prosecution has described the assault on the Lieutenant Colonel as a “vicious and deliberate” act.

The case continued as the court examined the motivation behind the stabbing ⬇️

3:50

🔴 SOLDIER TARGETED FOR HIS UNIFORM

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC told the court the victim was targeted specifically because of his appearance as a soldier.

Lt Col Teeton serves as a chief instructor at the school of military engineering ⬇️

3:45

🔴 “CUT MY HEAD OFF! LIKE LEE RIGBY”

Maidstone Crown Court heard the harrowing moment Lt Col Teeton spoke to his wife in hospital, asking if colleagues knew what happened. He told her:

⬇️

3:40

🔴 “BRAVERY OF HEROES SAVED HIS LIFE”

Mrs Teeton told the court that Mark is a husband, father and friend who was almost lost:

She said the attack will never be erased ⬇️

3:35

🔴 ATTACK CONTINUED AS SOLDIER WAS PURSUED

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says the intervention happened during the “second part” of the assault.

Footage shown to the court shows Esan pursuing Lt Col Teeton into the road after the initial stabbing ⬇️

🔴 “CONFIRMING MY NIGHTMARE IS REALITY”

The court heard Mrs Teeton only saw the blood on her flip-flops while in the hospital waiting room.

She described trying to shield her eldest daughter from seeing her father’s “DEVASTATING” condition ⬇️

3:25

🔴 ATTACK WAS “DELIBERATE & NOT FRENZIED”

Eileen Teeton described the movements of the defendant as he bent over her husband as:

“Short, pushing motions.”

She stated that the stabbing appeared very deliberate rather than a frenzied assault ⬇️

3:20

🔴 “HE WAS CARVING AT HIS FACE”

Mrs Teeton’s victim impact statement described her horror as she watched the attack continue.

She told Maidstone Crown

“He was carving at his face and neck... as if he was trying to get the blade in the exact place he wanted it” ⬇️

3:10

🔴 WIFE PUSHED ATTACKER OFF SOLDIER

In what the prosecution described as “remarkable” bravery, Mrs Teeton pushed Esan away from her husband before realising he was armed with a knife.

She told the court she then “felt a wave of terror” ⬇️

2:50

🔴 “I REALISED IT WAS MY HUSBAND”

Eileen Teeton tells court she rushed from her garden after hearing cries for help, only to find a soldier lying on the ground was her husband, Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton, being attacked by Anthony Esan ⬇️

2:20

🔴 PROSECUTION QUESTIONS STATE OF DISORDER

Prosecutor Alison Morgan KC says the key question for the Judge is what these medical interactions reveal about the true state & nature of Esan’s mental disorder at the time of the attack ⬇️ 1:55

🔴 TRANSFERRED TO LOW INTENSITY SUPPORT

The court is examining Esan's medical history, including his June discharge from specialist services & his subsequent move to the Medway Low Intensity Support CMHT prior to the events in question ⬇️

1:40

🔴 MEDICATION SWITCH REQUEST REFUSED

During his July appointment, Esan asked to switch from a depot anti-psychotic injection to oral medication.

The court heard this request was refused & the injection was administered as planned anyway ⬇️

1:35

🔴 "NO OBVIOUS PSYCHOSIS" DAYS BEFORE INCIDENT

Esan attended a mental health appointment on 19 July 2024—just four days before the attack took place.

Medical professionals noted there were no obvious signs of psychosis during that final assessment ⬇️

1:30

🔴 ESAN’S MENTAL HEALTH TIMELINE REVEALED

Court hears Esan was discharged from the Medway Early Intervention Service on 21 June 2024, before being transferred to a Low Intensity Support team just weeks before the incident ⬇️

1:15

🔴 ATTACK CONTINUED EVEN WHILE VICTIM TRIED TO CRAWL AWAY

Esan stabbed Lt Col Teeton multiple times with two different knives – including after he tried to move away on the ground ⬇️

1:10

🔴 WIFE’S GRAPHIC ACCOUNT OF THE ATTACK

Eileen Teeton told police she saw Esan “pushing his knife towards Mark’s face & neck” – she described it as:

“Like he was trying to carve Mark’s face.” ⬇️

12:55

🔴 ESAN PLAYED FOOTBALL WITH CALLUM WHEELER

During the same period, Anthony Esan played in the same local football group as Callum Wheeler, who lived just a street away.

Wheeler was later sentenced to life for murdering PCSO Julia James ⬇️

12:45

🔴 MOTHER RAISED CONCERNS IN 2021

Esan’s mother, described as a strict Christian who always did her best to keep him on the straight and narrow, raised concerns about his behaviour to the authorities as early as 2021 ⬇️

12:38

🔴 CASE DELAYED OVER MENTAL HEALTH

This trial has been delayed several times due to concerns over Esan’s mental health & fitness to plead.

However last month he admitted the charge via video link from Broadmoor Hospital ⬇️

12:35

🔴 EMOTIONAL TRIBUTE TO HEROES

Becoming emotional, Teeton paid tribute to the “heroes” who came to his aid, including his wife, saying he would be “forever in gratitude” ⬇️

12:30

🔴 “MIRACLE” SURVIVAL, COURT HEARS

Teeton said medical staff described his survival as a miracle.

He added he still relives the incident & believes it was a blessing he was unconscious for much of it ⬇️

12:25

🔴 ESAN’S EARLY LIFE REVEALED IN COURT

Esan was born in Nigeria but came to the UK in 2009 as an immigrant at the age of 9 along with his mother & his two older siblings, the court heard.

They originally lived in the Southwark area of London ⬇️

12:10

🔴 ESAN’S FAILED ARMY APPLICATIONS

Esan applied to join the Army in 2020 and 2021 but was rejected due to eczema, nut allergy, & later a psychotic disorder; the case was delayed over mental health concerns ⬇️

12:06

🔴 PROSECUTION: TARGETED FOR BEING A SOLDIER

The prosecution’s case is that the chief instructor at the British Army’s school of military engineering was attacked because of his appearance as a soldier ⬇️

12:05

🔴 VICTIM IN ARMY UNIFORM AT TIME

Teeton was dressed in full Army uniform, with boots and beret, when he was stabbed & later required emergency surgery ⬇️

12.03

🔴 “MIRACULOUS” SURVIVAL OF VICTIM

Morgan said the fact that Teeton’s wounds were not fatal was nothing short of miraculous ⬇️

11:59

🔴 WITNESSES CALL ATTACK “HARROWING”

Witnesses described the attack as one of the worst things they had ever seen, the court heard ⬇️

11:55

🔴 LEE RIGBY MURDER SEARCH REVEALED

On 16 July, Esan searched for “Woolwich soldier murdered”, which Morgan said referred to the attack on Lee Rigby ⬇️

11:53 🔴 ONLINE SEARCHES FOR KNIVES AND TERROR

Before the attack, Esan searched online for knives, a terrorist attack in West Africa, & TikTok videos of knife attacks in other countries ⬇️

11:50

🔴 DEFENDANT HAD INTEREST IN KNIVES

Morgan said Esan had an interest in knives; packaging for two “Rambo” knives was recovered from his bedroom after the attack ⬇️

11:44

🔴 SOLDIER TARGETED IN VICIOUS KNIFE ATTACK

Alison Morgan KC, prosecuting, told Maidstone Crown Court that the victim, Teeton, was deliberately attacked because of his obvious appearance as a soldier ⬇️

11:40

🔴 VICTIMS PRESENT

Lt Col Teeton & his wife are in attendance today.

The sentencing is scheduled to last three days, as the court weighs the defendant's mental health history against the severe level of public risk ⬇️

11:35am

🔴 THE EVIDENCE

The court is revisiting the events of July 2024. Lt Col Teeton was targeted while in uniform, sustaining life-threatening injuries before the attacker fled on a moped.

Expert psychiatric evidence will be the pivot for today's hearing ⬇️

11:15am 🔴 PRIVATE LEGAL DISCUSSION UNDERWAY

The Judge is currently holding a private legal preamble concerning court reporting restrictions related to mental health privacy issues

Proceedings are expected to resume shortly once resolved ⬇️

10:10 am

🔴 STANDING BY FOR OPENING OF PROCEEDINGS

The courtroom is currently assembling ahead of the scheduled 10:30 am start. The press gallery and legal representatives are taking their places for the first day of this three-day sentencing hearing. We will provide immediate updates as soon as the case is called on and the High Court judge begins the session.