Drug dealer who kicked mother, 56, to death at random after crashing his car while high on cannabis is found guilty of murder

A drug dealer who stabbed his mother to death in a random attack while under the influence of marijuana has been found guilty of murder.

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 24, launched a violent attack on 56-year-old mother Nila Patel moments after she threw her BMW onto its roof in broad daylight in the city centre.

His trial heard the killer had been released from prison on license just a year before the attack on stranger Miss Patel.

He died in hospital from brain damage two days after the attack in Leicester City Center in June.

Former university student Ahanönü, originally from Peckham in south-east London, had crashed his car after driving erratically and dangerously around the city centre; crossing lanes, passing traffic lights and heading towards a bus stop where people were waiting and pedestrians were crossing the road.

Ms Patel had just gotten off the bus and was walking home when Ahanönü attacked.

Security guards from nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary rushed to the scene and managed to restrain Ahanönü until police arrived.

After his arrest, it was determined that Ahanönü smoked marijuana and had bags of marijuana with him in the vehicle.

His family, who were on a bus in the area at the time of the crash, described the victim as having a ‘beautiful, vibrant soul’ and ‘one of the kindest-hearted people you could ever meet’.

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 24, was found guilty of murder at Leicester Crown Court today

The court was told Ahanönü avoided a two-year prison sentence in July 2024 after he was found with more than £1,000 in cash and a machete after running a red light in September 2023.

Before the hearing, Ahanönü admitted dangerous driving, possession with intent to supply Class B drugs and assaulting an emergency worker.

He also admitted manslaughter but was found guilty of murder today after a five-week trial.

Leicester’s Ahanönü is expected to be sentenced on Tuesday.

Following the conviction, police released CCTV footage of Ahanönü’s erratic driving at the time of the attack on Ms Patel and later body camera footage of him escaping the collision before being detained nearby.

Leicestershire Police also released interview footage in which he was asked about his driving, which he said he could not remember, and the attack on Ms Patel.

He told officers about the attack: ‘I don’t remember killing my brother… I need to see… I’ve never touched a woman in my life.’

At the hearing, prosecutor Mary Prior said Ms Patel, who is 5ft 4in, was ‘brutally attacked’ by Ahanönü.

Ahanönü’s BMW 1 Series went out of control and flew onto an island at the intersection, destroying the guardrails.

The car then rolled over and hit the second guardrail on the side of the road.

The prosecutor said the following about Ahanönü: ‘He was a complete stranger to him. This happened in broad daylight in Leicester city centre.

‘He had just gotten off the bus on his way home and was walking along the road, talking on the phone with his dear friend.

‘He was pulled from behind by the defendant and punched in the face so hard that he fell to the pavement. He was then kicked and stamped on while lying on the ground…stamped on his face.

‘He did nothing to cause the attack and was unable to defend himself.’

The court heard Ahanönü was almost four times the legal driving limit for cannabis. No alcohol was found in the blood sample taken approximately three hours after the alleged murder.

The hearing heard that the defendant paid for his flat, BMW, living expenses and drug use by selling marijuana. Ms Prior said Ahanönü was on universal credit and was earning £10,000 a month selling drugs while on benefits.

The court heard the man crashed his car outside Leicester Royal Infirmary at 5.32pm after driving onto the wrong side of the road and crashing into a guardrail.

Ms Patel, who was on a bus on the road at the time and talking to a friend on the phone, saw the collision and therefore got off the bus in front of the LRI to walk home at 5.33pm.

Shortly afterwards the defendant was seen violently attacking Ms Patel, who fell to the ground. Witnesses reported that Ahanönü punched, kicked and stamped Ms Patel.

After his arrest, Ahanönü told the police that he only remembered the collision, but not attacking Ms Patel.

Detective Inspector Emma Matts, Senior Investigating Officer at Leicestershire Police, said: ‘The incident was unknown to Ms Patel. After crashing his vehicle, he ran from the scene and violently attacked Ms Patel.

‘This was the most horrific, violent and random attack by a stranger on a kind, gentle and loving woman who was about to return home.

‘It is difficult to imagine what Ms Patel was going through in those moments. My thoughts continue to be with him, his family and friends who have suffered and continue to suffer the most terrible hardship and suffering.’

He described Ahanönü’s driving in the moments before the collision as ‘scary and disturbing’.

The hearing was told that Ahanönü was given a suspended prison sentence in June 2023 after being found guilty of possessing cannabis for the purpose of supplying it in his university flat.

His car was later stopped by police in August 2023 and again in September 2023, and at the second stop, officers found a machete and marijuana in his vehicle.

Ahanönü was sentenced to 24 months in prison for crimes such as possession of bladed items and violating a suspended sentence order.

This meant that Ahanönü was licensed at the time he attacked Ms Patel.

Junior prosecutor Caroline Bray told jurors earlier this month: ‘His license commenced upon his release from custody on 19 July 2024. ‘His license was supposed to expire on September 20, 2025.’