Nigerian‑born man convicted of killing 56‑year‑old woman

A 24‑year‑old Nigerian‑born man, Chukwuemeka Michael Ahanonu, has been found guilty of the murder of 56‑year‑old Nila Patel in a brutal street attack in Leicester, England.

The verdict was delivered on Monday, 23 March 2026, at Leicester Crown Court, following a trial in which Ahanonu admitted to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and assaulting an emergency worker, but denied murder.

On the afternoon of Tuesday, 24 June 2025, Ahanonu was driving erratically through Leicester city centre, overtaking in Welford Place before colliding with a kerb outside a bus stop in Welford Road.

Minutes later, Patel—a “beautiful, vibrant soul” and “one of the most kind‑hearted people you could ever meet,” according to her family—had just disembarked from a bus and was walking home when Ahanonu attacked her in Infirmary Road near Leicester Royal Infirmary.

CCTV and witness accounts showed that, after the crash, he fled on foot and then punched Patel so hard that she fell to the pavement before kicking and stamping on her head.

Ms Patel sustained a fractured skull and severe brain injuries in the assault and was rushed to hospital, where she was treated by staff from the nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary.

Despite emergency care, she died two days later, on 26 June 2025, prompting investigators to charge Ahanonu with murder.

Ahanonu, who lived on Dover Street in Leicester, was originally from Peckham in south‑east London and had been on licence from prison at the time of the killing, having served 24 months for offences including possessing a bladed weapon and breaching a suspended sentence.

Prosecutors revealed that during the incident, Ahanonu was carrying a rucksack containing “dealer bags” of cannabis valued at more than £3,000, alongside three iPhones which all belonged to him.

Blood tests taken hours after the killing showed his THC level—an indicator of cannabis use—at 7.6 micrograms, well above the 2‑microgram legal limit for driving.

At the start of the trial, Ahanonu pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession with intent to supply class B drugs (cannabis), and assaulting an emergency worker, after biting a female officer during his arrest at the scene.

He was acquitted of a separate common‑assault charge connected to a reported incident in London earlier on 24 June but denied the murder of Patel, claiming diminished responsibility due to cannabis intoxication.

Opening the prosecution case, Leicester Crown Court was told that Ahanonu had no prior connection to Patel and that his cannabis‑fuelled loss of control did not amount to a defence because voluntary intoxication does not excuse intentional violence.

Jurors ultimately rejected the manslaughter and diminished‑responsibility arguments and convicted him of murder after a month‑long trial.

Ahanonu has been remanded into custody and is scheduled to be sentenced on Tuesday, 24 March 2026, at Leicester Crown Court.

ADVERTISEMENT

Detective Inspector Emma Matts of the East Midlands Special Operations Unit described the crime as “an extremely horrific, violent, and random assault by a stranger on a kind, gentle, and loving woman who was merely trying to return home,” and praised the actions of hospital security staff who subdued Ahanonu until police arrived.

The case has sparked renewed debate in the UK about the links between drug use, dangerous driving, and violent crime, with Patel’s family calling for stricter controls and harsher penalties for repeat offenders.