Knife attack on uniformed Army officer ‘vicious and deliberate’, court told

A knife attack on a uniformed Army officer in the street outside his home was a “vicious and deliberate” attack which witnesses described as “one of the worst things they’ve ever seen”, a court has been told.

Anthony Esan is set to be sentenced at Maidstone Crown Court for the attempted murder of Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton in Sally Port Gardens, near Brompton Barracks, Chatham, on July 23 2024.

The 25-year-old was due to stand trial for the attack and possession of two bladed weapons this month, but instead pleaded guilty to the crimes in January.

At the beginning of the sentencing, which is expected to last three days, prosecutor Alison Morgan KC told the court the prosecution’s case was that the chief instructor at the British Army’s school of military engineering was targeted because of his appearance as a solider.

Leading up to the attack, Esan had began online searches including for knives and about a terrorist attack that happened in West Africa, and TikTok videos of knife attacks in other countries.

On July 16, he also searched “Woolwich soldier murdered” on the internet, which Ms Morgan said was plainly a reference to the attack on Lee Rigby in 2013.

Ms Morgan said that Esan had an “interest” in knives, with packaging for two “Rambo” knives later to be recovered from his bedroom.

Lt Col Teeton was stabbed repeatedly in the street outside his home address, and was dressed in an Army uniform, boots and beret at the time.

Esan used two knives to inflict multiple stab wounds on Lt Col Teeton.

Ms Morgan said it was “nothing short of miraculous” they were not fatal given their number, locations and the force with which they were inflicted.

When Lt Col Teeton tried to move away from Esan, he stabbed him again, the prosecutor said.

She said: “Witnesses who saw it, described it as harrowing and one of the worst things they’ve ever seen.”

Esan was born in Nigeria and moved to the UK in 2009 and lived in the Southwark area of London, the court heard.

He had made several unsuccessful attempts to join the British Army in the years before his attack.

Ms Morgan said that Esan made his first application to join the Army in 2020 but that this was rejected on May 27 of that year because of eczema and a nut allergy.

That same year, he had been referred to mental health services as he appeared to be mentally unwell and reported hearing voices.

Esan applied to the Army again on April 13 2021 but was rejected, with the medical reasons for rejection being “psychotic disorder” and eczema, Ms Morgan said.

He appealed against this decision but his appeal was rejected, and he began another application in June 2021, which was “abandoned”.

In March 2023, Esan began a further application to the Army, but he did not complete the process and withdrew his application for “health reasons”, the court heard.

Lt Col Teeton and his wife Eileen Teeton were in court and were due to read victim impact statements.

The sentencing continues.