Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 24, a former university student and drug dealer, has been found guilty of the savage murder of 56-year-old mother Nila Patel. The Leicester man punched, kicked, and stamped on the helpless woman with full force, leading to her death two days later from fatal brain injuries.
Random Attack After Car Crash Near Hospital
The terrifying assault happened after Ahanonu’s car flipped near Leicester Royal Infirmary on June 24 last year. Ms Patel, who had just got off a bus on her way home, was a stranger to him.
Victim’s Family Tell Court: “You Murdered Our Mother”
Ahanonu, originally from Peckham in south-east London, denied murder but pleaded guilty to manslaughter, claiming diminished responsibility. However, a jury at Leicester Crown Court convicted him of murder after a month-long trial.
Judge Timothy Spencer KC condemned the attack as “shocking, brutal and merciless.” He told Ahanonu, “You murdered a wholly innocent woman. You were angry and looking for a victim.”
“You selected her for three reasons: her gender – you wouldn’t have attacked a man, her slight build and height making her vulnerable, and her race. In a moment you called her part of ‘dirty Asians’.”
Ms Patel’s children, Jaidan and Danika, read powerful victim impact statements. Jaidan said, “Nine months ago today, you murdered our mother. The pain of losing her in this way is impossible to accept.”
Danika added, “I will never be able to make sense of the cruelty and randomness of it. My mum was the most important person in my life. Losing her like this has shattered my world.”
Drug Dealer’s Dark Past and Defiance
The court heard Ahanonu was claiming universal credit while running a large drug operation, making £10,000 a month. Toxicology tests after the attack revealed he had cannabis in his system well over the legal limit.
He had also been released on licence just a year before, after a previous two-year term for a violent offence involving a machete and a cash haul.
At the start of his trial, Ahanonu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession with intent to supply class B drugs, and assaulting a female emergency officer by biting her.
Family and Police Speak Out
Danika Patel said outside court: “Our mum was not a case number. She was a loving mother, daughter, sister, and the heart of our family. We’re still trying to process the shock and trauma of losing her so violently.”
Detective Constable Rich Gamage described the attack as “the most horrific, violent and random assault by a stranger on a kind, gentle woman simply making her way home.”
He added: “My thoughts remain with Nila Patel’s family and friends who continue to suffer unimaginable pain.”
