The footage was stark: a uniformed Army officer walking home, then suddenly, a calculated ambush. Anthony Esan, on a moped, pulled alongside Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton, feigning a breakdown, a request for help masking a chilling intent. What followed was a brutal, targeted attack that unfolded in the middle of the road.
Lt Col Teeton, a veteran of Iraq and Afghanistan with 26 years of service, was struck repeatedly. The attack left him with devastating wounds – to his neck, chest, abdomen, arms, and thigh. Medical staff later called his survival a miracle. He remembers little of the assault itself, a blessing, he says, to avoid reliving the horror in full.
In the aftermath, lying in a hospital bed, Lt Col Teeton’s first thought was for his colleagues. “Do the people at work know what he tried to do to me?” he asked his wife, Eileen, before adding, with haunting clarity, “Cut my head off! Like Lee Rigby.” The reference underscored the deliberate nature of the violence, the chilling echo of a previous tragedy.
Prosecutors argued Esan specifically targeted a soldier because of his uniform, a vicious and deliberate act. But the case took a complex turn as experts revealed a disturbing truth: Esan was deeply unwell, suffering from schizophrenia at the time of the attack. The primary driver, they concluded, wasn’t hatred, but psychosis.
The court heard Esan had a history of mental health struggles, dating back to 2020 when he began hearing voices. Concerns escalated in 2023 when his mother discovered knives in his bag. Eighteen months before the attack, he began experiencing murderous fantasies, a terrifying descent into delusion.
His fascination with violence extended to media. Esan immersed himself in the worlds of the film *Kingsman* and the video game *Cyberpunk*, believing he was a character tasked with delivering lethal force. He’d even made multiple, unsuccessful attempts to join the British Army himself.
Despite the severity of his actions, Esan’s mental state dictated his fate. He admitted attempted murder and possessing weapons, but was sentenced to life in Broadmoor high-security psychiatric hospital, where he will remain indefinitely, receiving ongoing treatment. He remains psychotic, experts confirmed, requiring care for the rest of his life.
Lt Col Teeton, forever marked by the attack, spoke of his profound gratitude to those who intervened, including his wife Eileen, and the strangers who rushed to his aid. He acknowledged the quick thinking that saved his life, a life he once believed was safe on the streets of Britain. The incident, he said, has left an indelible scar, a constant reminder of the day his world was violently shattered.
