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Lieutenant Colonel Mark Teeton described the frightening moment when Anthony Esan’s friendly façade suddenly vanished, leading to a violent stabbing near Brompton Barracks. On the evening of 23 July 2024, just before 6 pm, Teeton was on a brief walk home when Esan approached him, asking to borrow his mobile phone to get help with a broken-down moped. Only minutes later, Teeton was attacked with a knife, an assault that was only interrupted when his wife, Eileen, who lived nearby, rushed out and managed to push Esan away as he lunged at her husband.
Speaking to the BBC, Teeton reflected on the experience, saying, “I was fortunate to have survived.” The court heard chilling details about Esan’s preparation for the attack, including online searches relating to knives, a terrorist incident in West Africa, and videos of knife attacks worldwide. He had also researched the 2013 killing of soldier Lee Rigby in Woolwich, a clear indication of his intent. Forensic psychiatrists suggested Esan suffered from psychosis, but the judge, Mr Justice Picken, stated clearly that the assault was both targeted and planned. He emphasized to Esan, “You were looking for a soldier with the intention that that soldier should die, as underlined by the fact you had looked up the killing of Lee Rigby on the internet.”
Eileen spoke of her shock as she charged at Esan in an attempt to stop the attack, only to witness her husband lying wounded on the ground once Esan disengaged and fled on his moped. Despite drifting in and out of consciousness, Teeton was rescued by barracks guards and local residents, and was rushed by ambulance to King’s College Hospital in London for emergency surgery. Teeton credited the swift and skilled intervention of paramedics and locals providing first aid as instrumental in saving his life. After spending three weeks in hospital and attending a rehabilitation center near Loughborough, Teeton was able to return to work full-time in January 2025, although the military had relocated his family to a more secure and private location.
Esan pleaded guilty to attempted murder in January 2024, after delays due to concerns about his mental health. He had tried on several occasions to join the British Army since 2020 but was reportedly experiencing mental health issues, including hearing voices, leading to a referral for support. During sentencing, Mr Justice Picken described the attack as unimaginably horrific and ordered Esan to be detained in hospital for as long as necessary. Following the sentencing, Teeton reflected on the wider impact of knife attacks, saying they affect not only the victims but also the families and communities involved. His wife, Eileen, expressed relief that Esan had accepted responsibility, stating, “For us not having to relive the ordeal through a trial and subject poor jurors to our horrendous ordeal, there was a massive relief that he had, in our minds, done the right thing and pleaded guilty to his crimes.
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