A Leicester Crown Court has jailed a Nigerian, Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, to life imprisonment for the murdering 56-year-old Nila Patel he attacked on a street in Leicester, United Kingdom.
Ahanonu had earlier crashed his car while driving under the influence of cannabis.
A report by Leicestershire Police said 24-year-old Ahanonu assaulted Patel on June 24, 2025, along Infirmary Road.
The Crown Court found him guilty by a jury on Monday and was sentenced on Tuesday.
The police said the convict had been driving dangerously around the city centre before the incident, swerving across lanes, running red lights, and veering towards pedestrians before crashing his vehicle.
He ran away after crashing his car and attacked Patel, who had just alighted from a bus and was walking home.
The police said Ahanonu was found to be smoking cannabis, with dealer bags of the substance valued at over £3,000 and three iPhones recovered from his car.
He had earlier pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply, and assaulting an emergency worker after biting a female police officer.
Security personnel from the nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary restrained him until officers arrived, while medical staff treated Patel for severe injuries, including a fractured skull and brain trauma. She died two days later, prompting his re-arrest on suspicion of murder on June 26, 2025.
Detective Inspector Emma Matts said the incident was “a horrific, violent and random attack” on an innocent woman, adding that “Ahanonu was unknown to the victim. She was simply walking home when she was subjected to this brutal assault.
Matts said CCTV footage of his driving before the crash was “frightening and disturbing,” adding that members of the public intervened by their swift actions in restraining the suspect and assisting the victim which she said were crucial in securing justice.
In another development, another Nigerian, Francis Ogbuefi, 42, and one Steven Silvester, 32, were jailed for a combined 16 years in prison for a global money laundering scheme.
Raidió Teilifís Éireann said the both men were prosecuted after an investigation by Ireland’s Garda National Economic Crime Bureau. Ogbuefi was handed a nine-year sentence, while Silvester received seven and a half years.
Authorities say the cases highlight growing concerns over transnational crimes involving some foreign nationals.
