Home / Crime and Justice / Dealer Freed Early Kills Stranger After Crash
Dealer Freed Early Kills Stranger After Crash
10 Mar
Summary
- The accused was released early from a prison sentence.
- He allegedly killed a stranger after a car crash.
- He was found with cannabis and a machete.
Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 23, is on trial for murder, accused of killing 56-year-old Nila Patel on June 24, 2025. The fatal attack near Leicester Royal Infirmary allegedly followed a car crash involving Ahanonu. Patel had reportedly exited a bus when Ahanonu, impaired by cannabis, crashed his BMW. He then pulled her from behind and attacked her. Patel died two days later from brain damage.
Ahanonu was released on license on July 19, 2024, from a two-year sentence for drug dealing and possessing a machete. He had previously received a suspended sentence in June 2023 for possession with intent to supply cannabis. His license conditions required him to be of good behavior. At the time of the alleged murder, his blood-cannabis level was nearly four times the legal driving limit.
The defendant, originally from Peckham, London, has pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, drug supply, and assaulting an emergency worker. He denies murder, asserting diminished responsibility and admitting to manslaughter.
