Shocking CCTV footage shows a man, later identified as 51-year-old Anthony Marks, glancing desperately over his shoulder as he pedals a Lime bike along a north London street in a frantic bid to escape. Within seconds, his pursuers – a teenage county lines drug gang – enter the frame. Tragically, they caught him.
A Brutal Attack Fuelled by the Drugs Trade
Mr Marks, who was homeless and had a long-term addiction to Class A drugs, was murdered just a short walk from the bustling King's Cross area. The Metropolitan Police released the chilling footage to the Daily Mail after his killers were sentenced to a combined 23 years in prison.
The attackers were Jaidee Bingham, 16, known as 'Ghost', Eymaiyah Lee Bradshaw-McKoy, 16, and Mia Campos-Jorge, 17. They confronted Mr Marks around 5am on August 10, 2024, believing he was linked to stolen drugs. After a minor altercation escalated, they chased him down Whidborne Street.
There, they subjected him to a sustained and vicious assault. Mr Marks was hit with a car bumper, stamped on, and beaten over the head with a green gin bottle. The gang only fled when a member of the public intervened with a cricket bat.
Bleeding heavily, Mr Marks stumbled into King's Cross station, where he was found by staff. He was rushed to hospital with a critical brain bleed. Despite surgery, he died five weeks later on September 14, 2024.
Celebratory Selfies and a Chilling Warning to Middle-Class Users
In a stark illustration of their callousness, detectives found sickening selfies and videos on the teens' phones showing them smiling, laughing, and singing both before and after the attack. As they made their getaway in a car with false plates, they filmed themselves celebrating, with Bingham stating, 'we messed up a man today'.
This brutal murder has prompted teachers and drug experts to issue a stark warning to middle-class recreational cocaine users. They argue that wealthy individuals taking the drug at dinner parties in affluent areas like the Cotswolds are directly funding the violent county lines gangs that exploit children.
Nicola Garrard, a teacher and charity worker with London-based Minority Matters, gave a desperate plea: 'Middle class, recreational drug users need to know that the drugs they're taking have very likely been through the digestive tract of a child who is being abused... Their cocaine that they're having for "fun" is paying and facilitating child abuse.'
She highlighted the grim reality for exploited children, who are often blackmailed, sexually abused, and systematically brutalised by the gangs they are forced to work for.
Sentencing and the Wider County Lines Crisis
At the Old Bailey, Bingham was found guilty of murder and sentenced to 16 years. Bradshaw-McKoy and Campos-Jorge were found guilty of manslaughter and jailed for three years and 11 months, and three years and six months respectively.
Judge Mark Dennis KC noted Mr Marks was a vulnerable individual who was outnumbered and repeatedly struck while trying to flee. Detective Inspector Jim Barry of the Met's Specialist Crime North said the case offered 'an insight into the ruthless brutality of county lines gangs'.
The case underscores a national crisis. According to The Children's Society, more than 46,000 children across England are thought to be involved in criminal groups, with 4,000 being criminally exploited in London alone. Gangs are increasingly using social media platforms like Snapchat and Instagram to groom children from all backgrounds, including rural and white working-class communities.
Experts like Gary Carroll point out that cocaine use has become socially accepted among higher classes, with a growing 'domestic market' for house parties. This demand fuels a supply chain built on the exploitation of the young and vulnerable, creating a direct link between a night of 'innocent fun' and devastating child abuse.
