Ronan Kanda: Teens sentenced for boy's mistaken identity murder

Two 17-year-olds have been sentenced for stabbing a 16-year-old boy to death in a case of mistaken identity.

Ronan Kanda was murdered close to his home in Wolverhampton after he visited a friend's house to buy a PlayStation controller in June 2022.

A trial heard his attackers, one of whom had just collected knives bought online, mistook him for his friend.

Prabjeet Veadhesa will serve a minimum term of 18 years and Sukhman Shergill a minimum of 16, the court heard.

Before passing sentence at Wolverhampton Crown Court, the judge, Mr Justice Choudhury, lifted reporting restrictions on naming the teenagers.

He made the decision in part to send out a strong message about the seriousness of knife crime, he said.

The court was told Veadhesa was owed money by Ronan's friend and intended to confront him on 29 June 2022.

The judge said it was a "tragic coincidence" they saw Ronan leave the house where their intended victim lived and assumed he was the boy they were looking for.

He was just yards away from his family home, but was attacked from behind as he listened to music on headphones.

Earlier in the day, Veadhesa had collected a ninja sword set and a large machete from a local post office after buying them online using a fake name.

The court heard Shergill carried the machete but Ronan was stabbed twice with the sword by Veadhesa and died at the scene.

He suffered a 20cm-deep wound in his back and hip area, and a 17cm-deep wound in his chest.

The pair fled after they realised they had attacked the wrong person, dumping their weapons and clothes.

Many of Ronan's family, who were in the courtroom wearing "Justice for Ronan" T-shirts, sobbed as tributes were read during the hearing.

Ronan's mother, Pooja Kanda, read out a personal statement and said she replayed the last time she saw her son alive in her mind every day.

"I have lost a lifetime of dreams, hopes and ambitions," she said. "He was the son that every mother needs."

Addressing the defendants, who both looked at the floor as she spoke, she told them "your evil actions have taken my son's life" which left her with "nothing but hatred for this world".

His father, Chander Kanda, said the death of his son had destroyed his life.

Ronan's sister, Nikita Kanda, said she was "no longer the same person" and added "my world has stopped, I feel empty and I'm just surviving".

Although Shergill, from Willenhall, did not inflict any blows, a jury found he acted in the joint enterprise of his murder and convicted both teenagers after a five-week trial.

In defence of Veadhesa, from Walsall, Adam Morgan said his client was of good character and was "genuinely remorseful".

Timothy Hannam KC, defending Shergill, said his client should be treated more leniently as "Veadhesa was the one who actually killed Ronan".

West Midlands Police described it as an "unbelievably callous and shocking case of mistaken identity".

Additional reporting by Ruth Green and PA Media.

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