Man crashed car before murdering stranger, CCTV shows

Police have released footage of a drug dealer crashing his car moments before murdering a stranger in the street, and laughing when he was interviewed by detectives.

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu was captured on CCTV on 24 June last year as he drove in Leicester, before his car overturned and he attacked pedestrian, mother of two Nila Patel.

Ahanonu, 24, originally from Peckham in south-east London, punched, kicked and stamped on 56-year-old Patel "with full force", causing her to die in hospital two days later with brain damage.

He was found guilty of murder on Monday and was given a life sentence, with a minimum term of 21 years and six months at Leicester Crown Court on Tuesday.

The court heard Ahanonu, of Dover Street in Leicester, had crashed his car minutes before the attack.

Leicestershire Police released the footage on Tuesday of his journey, showing the car flipping over near Leicester Royal Infirmary (LRI).

He then attacked Patel, who had been on her way home at the time, leaving her with a fractured skull and brain injury.

After his arrest, initially on suspicion of dangerous driving, he told detectives: "I don't remember even doing this."

At one point, he was asked by a detective why he was laughing, and he replied: "If I don't laugh, I'll cry."

During the sentencing hearing, Patel's son and daughter - Jaidan and Danika Patel - read out victim impact statements to the court.

Jaidan said: "Nine months ago today you murdered our mother.

"The pain of losing her in this way is impossible to accept."

Danika added: "My mum was the most important person in my life.

"Losing her in such a violent and senseless way has shattered my world."

While sentencing Ahanonu, Judge Timothy Spencer KC said: "You murdered a wholly innocent woman. It was shocking, brutal and merciless."

He added: "You were angry, you were looking for a victim. You selected her, in my judgement, because of three things.

"One was her gender, a woman - you would not have attacked a man.

"The second was her build and her height - 5ft 4in tall and of slight build.

"She was vulnerable."

Spencer added he was "satisfied" Patel's race was the third factor.

Paul Raudnitz KC, defending, told the court Ahanonu has no memory of his violence that day and was "shocked" when he saw footage of the "awfulness of what he had done".

Raudnitz said: "I'm instructed now in the clearest of clear terms the defendant would like to express through me his sincere apologies."

Judge Spencer told the defendant: "I'm quite satisfied you retain much more memory of this attack than you have ever had the courage to admit."

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