Shocking footage shows moments before fatal stabbing

Two teenagers who stabbed a boy to death as he walked home from a friend’s house in a case of mistaken identity have been jailed for life. Prabjeet Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill, both 17, launched a vicious attack on Ronan Kanda in Mount Road, Wolverhampton, on June 29 last year.

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Veadhesa, of Cairn Drive, Walsall, and Shergill, of Bewley Road, Willenhall, were on Thursday named publicly for the first time after an application to lift reporting restrictions was granted by a judge.

The pair had spotted Ronan leaving the house where their intended victim lived and assumed he was the boy they were looking for.

They followed Ronan, 16, who was stabbed twice with a “vicious” Ninja knife which Veadhesa had bought online.

Veadhesa and Shergill left him with a 20cm deep wound in his back and a 17cm deep wound in his chest.

Ronan died in the street from the injuries inflicted by Veadhesa, who along with Shergill fled the scene after realising they had stabbed the wrong person.

Wolverhampton Crown Court heard Veadhesa had previously given his intended victim some money, which he had not paid back. The defendants went to find him to “scare” him into returning the cash.

Earlier on the day of the brutal attack, Veadhesa had picked up from a Post Office the Ninja sword set and a large machete he bought online using a fake name.

Although Shergill did not inflict any blows on Ronan, he was found to have acted in the joint enterprise of his murder and the pair were both found guilty by a jury at the end of a five-week trial.

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Judge Mr Justice Choudhury branded it a “cowardly attack” as he jailed Veadhesa for a minimum of 18 years and Shergill for a minimum of 16 years.

He said: “The devastation caused by that cowardly attack, by stabbing him from behind, is hard to comprehend for his family. Their loss is incalculable. Nothing I do or say today can relieve their pain.”

Ronan’s family and friends were in the courtroom wearing black ‘Justice for Ronan’ t-shirts. Veadhesa and Shergill, both wearing black suits and ties, sat next to each other in the dock, listening to proceedings.

They both looked at the floor as Ronan’s grieving mum, Pooja Kanda, fought back tears to pay tribute to her son. Mrs Kanda said she has “no desire to live anymore” since her son was taken away.

She told the court: “I’m proud of the man my son was in the short life he lived. My relationship with my son was so pure. He had so much love and respect. He was my strength, my world, he was the son every mother needs.”

Addressing her son’s killers directly, Mrs Kanda said their evil actions had taken her son’s life and left her with nothing but hatred for this world.

She told them: “This mother will never forgive you. If there is a God, they will show you the real justice my son deserves.”

Before their sentences were handed down, prosecutor David Mason KC said there was a “significant degree” of planning and premeditation.

He said: “The weapons were ordered in advance. They wore dark clothing to disguise their identities and both disposed of the weapons and the clothing after the killing.

“Ronan was not the intended victim, which makes this case even more tragic. He was minding his own business, walking home from the house of his friend.

“It was a brutal killing in broad daylight in front of members of the public. There is no real evidence of any true remorse for what they did that night.”

Defending Veadhesa, Adam Morgan said his client had no previous convictions and was of good character. He said: “He is genuinely remorseful. It is something he will have to bear for the rest of his life.”

Timothy Hannam KC, defending Shergill, said his client should be treated more leniently than his accomplice. He said: “This was a joint enterprise offence but a distinction can be drawn between the two defendants.

“Mr Veadhesa was the one who actually killed Ronan. Mr Veadhesa was the one who stabbed him, not Mr Shergill.”

Mr Justice Choudhury told the defendants: “Ronan was a normal 16-year-old boy. He had nothing to do with gangs, drugs, violence or weapons. He didn’t even have any issues with either of you. He was targeted by mistake.

“When you realised it was Ronan you had stabbed, instead of showing humanity you both ran, leaving your friend to die in the street.”

Outside court, Ronan’s family urged the Government to do more to combat knife crime. Ronan’s sister Nikita, 22, said: “We need to do more to stop knife crime. You know how easy it is to acquire a knife. You can just go online and you can just buy a machete.”

Ronan’s father, Chander Kanda, added: “We need to do more as a society to stop knife crime.”

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