Drug dealer who attacked stranger guilty of murder

A drug dealer who crashed a car and then killed a female pedestrian by stamping on her head has been found guilty of murder.

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu attacked stranger Nila Patel, 56, near the Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI) on 24 June last year.

The 24-year-old, originally from Peckham in south-east London, had admitted manslaughter but denied murder, claiming diminished responsibility.

At Leicester Crown Court on Monday, a jury found Ahanonu guilty of murder, and he is due to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Just minutes before the attack, Ahanonu, of Dover Street, Leicester, had crashed his car after driving erratically and dangerously around the city centre, which included swerving across lanes and driving through traffic lights.

Security officers from the LRI managed to restrain Ahanonu until police arrived, and medical staff also treated Patel.

She suffered injuries, including a fractured skull and a brain injury, and died in hospital two days later.

Following his arrest at the scene, it was found Ahanonu had been smoking cannabis and had dealer bags of cannabis with him in the vehicle, Leicestershire Police said.

The trial heard at the time of the attack, Ahanonu was out on licence from a 24‑month jail sentence for offences that included possession of a bladed article and breaching a suspended sentence order.

In relation to the events on the day Patel was fatally injured, the court heard, Ahanonu admitted dangerous driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and assault of an emergency worker.

He also opted not to give evidence in his defence to the murder charge, but the court heard that during police interviews, Ahanonu stated he could only remember the collision and not the attack on Patel.

Det Insp Emma Matts said: "Ahanonu was unknown to Ms Patel. After crashing his vehicle, he ran from the scene, violently attacking Ms Patel.

"This was the most horrific, violent and random attack by a stranger on a kind, gentle and loving woman, who was simply making her way home.

"It is hard to imagine what Ms Patel went through in those moments.

"My thoughts continue to remain with her and with her family and friends, who have suffered and continue to suffer the most horrendous distress and pain."

Patel's son and daughter - Jaidan and Danika Patel - paid tribute to her.

"She was quiet, gentle, funny, kind, loving and deeply caring. She always put others before herself and she never expected anything in return," they said.

"Mum still had so much life ahead of her. She should have had the chance to grow old, to enjoy retirement, to become a grandmother and to celebrate many more milestones with her family. All of those moments have now been taken away from her - and from us.

"We will carry mum's love, her guidance, her kindness and the memory of who she was with us every day for the rest of our lives, and we will never stop wishing the world could have had more of her in it."

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