Wolverhampton – Two 17-year-olds have received sentencing for the heart-wrenching stabbing death of a 16-year-old boy in a case of mistaken identity. Ronan Kanda was tragically murdered near his Wolverhampton residence in June 2022 after visiting a friend’s house with the intention of purchasing a PlayStation controller.
During the trial proceedings, it was revealed that the assailants, one of whom had recently acquired knives through an online purchase, mistakenly identified Ronan as his friend. The court learned that Prabjeet Veadhasa will serve a minimum term of 18 years, while Sukhman Shergill will face a minimum of 16 years.
Ahead of delivering the sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Mr. Justice Choudhury, the presiding judge, decided to lift reporting restrictions and allow the teenagers to be named. This decision was made to underscore the gravity of knife crime and its implications.
According to the court testimony, Veadhasa had a financial dispute with Ronan’s friend and had intended to confront him on June 29, 2022. The judge described the fatal incident as a “tragic coincidence” when the attackers spotted Ronan leaving the house where they believed their intended target resided, erroneously assuming him to be the intended victim.
Despite being mere yards away from his family home, Ronan was suddenly assaulted from behind while listening to music through his headphones. Veadhasa, armed with the sword he had obtained earlier in the day, attacked Ronan, inflicting two fatal stabs. The injuries included a deep 20cm wound in Ronan’s back and hip area, as well as a 17cm-deep wound in his chest.
Upon realizing their grave mistake, the perpetrators fled the scene, abandoning their weapons and clothing. Many members of Ronan’s family, donning “Justice for Ronan” T-shirts, shed tears as tributes were paid during the court hearing. Ronan’s mother, Pooja Kanda, read a poignant personal statement, describing how she replays her final memory of her son in her mind every day. She expressed the loss of a lifetime of dreams, hopes, and ambitions, proclaiming her son to be the kind every mother desires.
In her address to the defendants, who kept their gaze to the floor during her statement, she held them accountable for their despicable actions that robbed her of her son’s life and filled her heart with nothing but hatred for the world. Ronan’s father, Chander Kanda, conveyed how the death of his son has shattered his own life.
Nikita Kanda, Ronan’s sister, revealed that she no longer feels like the same person and expressed the emptiness she experiences, stating that her world has come to a standstill. Although Shergill did not physically assault Ronan, the jury found him guilty under the joint enterprise doctrine, holding him responsible for the murder. In defense of Veadhasa, his attorney, Adam Morgan, highlighted his client’s good character and genuine remorse. Timothy Hannam KC, Shergill’s defense counsel, argued for leniency, emphasizing that Veadhasa was the one who directly caused Ronan’s death. West Midlands Police characterized the case as an “unbelievably callous and shocking” example of mistaken identity.