Ex-wife on trial for murder plot after drug dealer killed | UK | News
A drug dealer died after acid was thrown at his front door in an attack involving his ex-wife because she owed a significant sum of money to her ‘boss’, a court heard. Danny Cahalane, 38, died on May 3 last year after suffering serious burn injuries.
The Devon father was the victim of a sulfuric acid attack at his home in Plymouth at around 3.55am on Friday, February 21, 2025. A trial began on Thursday 22 January against ten people facing a range of charges related to the incident and other offences.
Chief prosecutor Joanne Martin KC told the court there was no doubt that Cahalane had been murdered and said: “The person who threw the acid at him must have intended to cause him at least really serious bodily harm.”
The court heard Mr Cahalane was attacked because he was “a drug dealer in Plymouth and owed a large sum of money to another drug dealer higher up the chain of command”. Martin told the jury they would know the man, whose real name is Ryan Kennedy, as “Frost.”
Kennedy is currently believed to be in Dubai and operating between Thailand, Spain and Dubai. The prosecutor added that Frost wanted to teach the 38-year-old “a very important lesson for his lack of respect” after he owed him nearly £120,000.
Martin said all 10 men on trial played a role in Mr Cahalane’s death and were involved in the plot to “catch” the man as instructed. Mr Cahalane claimed the problems began when someone below him fled to New Zealand without paying anyone higher up.
“To make the situation worse,” the prosecutor said. “Danny told police he had also gambled away the profits, including money that should have been returned to Frost.”
When Mr. Cahalane could not pay his debts, he had to pretend to have money and cut out magazines to send photos to Frost. He refused Frost’s request to bring suitcases of cannabis from Thailand and tried to raise money by selling smaller amounts of the drug for £300-400 a week.
When Mr Kennedy became “enraged” by Cahalane’s “delaying” and inability to pay his debt, the prosecutor said he tried to kill him on January 19, 2025. Ms Martin read messages in court from Cahalane’s phone showing threats from his “boss”.
One says: “You’re going to die… You just have to die… You gave me £80k… now they’re coming… I’ll give them an extra 40k to come and take your eyes out of your head.” Cahalane received more messages: “I’m taking your position now, man”, “You violated me, remember all I did was try to help you”, “I won’t stop throwing money at you until you get it”.
Just minutes after the attempted kidnapping of Cahalane, the court heard another message from Kennedy, which read: “Close call? I’m telling you, mate, they’re going to burn the blunderbuss and you’re going to die.”
The court was told that in the second attack, Mr Cahalane’s home was broken into and “sulfuric acid was thrown on him and his entire body was burned”. He died from his horrific injuries after 10 weeks in hospital.
Those charged included Paris Wilson, 35, of Plymouth; Jude Hill (43) of Plymouth; Abdulrasheed Adedoja, 23, Neasden, London; Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 23, London; Israel Augustus, 26, Tottenham, London; Isanah Sungum, 22, Edmonton, London; and Brian Kalemba, 23, of Barking, London.
Five of the defendants are accused of attempting to kidnap Mr Cahalane on January 19 and attempting to cause grievous bodily harm. They are Adedoja, Bakas-Sithole and Wilson, and Jean Mukuna, 23, and Arrone Mukuna, 25, both from Camden, London.
Nine of the defendants are also charged with involvement in an organized crime gang related to the supply of drugs, including the enforcement of drug debts, between 1 January 2025 and 11 April 2025. They are Adedoja, Bakas-Sithole, Augustus, Wilson, Sungum, Kalemba, Jean and Arrone Mukuna and Jenna Said, 39, of Plymouth.
Speaking after his death, Mr Cahalane’s family said: “Danny was an extraordinary father and son.”
