An ex-wife betrayed her former partner to be killed with sulphuric acid, believing she would be made wealthy from his death, a court has heard.
The Betrayal
Paris Wilson, 35, was found guilty of manslaughter at Winchester Crown Court on Thursday after providing information to a Dubai-based drug kingpin about the whereabouts of her former husband, Danny Cahalane. Prosecutors told the jury that Wilson became Ryan Kennedy’s “go-to contact in Plymouth” to pressure Mr Cahalane to pay a debt, and later to track him down. The former criminal justice worker was “seemingly happy to give up all that information on the understanding Frost would make her wealthy,” Jo Martin KC, prosecuting, said.
The couple had split “acrimoniously” by 2025, and Wilson’s animosity was laid bare in a message she sent to Mr Cahalane: “I hope you and your girlfriend both end up with acid in your face.” In another exchange, she reportedly told her mother that her ex-husband deserved to be hurt and referenced a “nice out of this”, which prosecutors said indicated she expected financial compensation. Wilson was found guilty of manslaughter and attempted kidnap but cleared of murder. She will be sentenced at a later date.
The Debt and the Attack
Mr Cahalane, 38, a father of two and a drug dealer, owed approximately £120,000 to Ryan Kennedy – known as “Frost” – a childhood friend who grew up on the same south London estate. Kennedy, who operated between Thailand, Spain and Dubai and is believed to be based in Dubai, became “incensed” at Mr Cahalane’s “stalling” and failure to repay, Ms Martin said. The debt had grown after a junior drug dealer absconded with money and Mr Cahalane lost additional funds through gambling.
Kennedy had threatened extreme violence. Messages from Mr Cahalane’s phone showed threats including: “Your gonna die…. U jus need to die…. You done me £80K…they coming up now… I’m gonna give them extra 40k to come and take your eyes out you’r head.” He also allegedly threatened to burn down the homes of Mr Cahalane’s mother and ex-wife. In one message from Dubai after a failed kidnapping attempt, Kennedy wrote: “Close call? Mate I’m telling you they gonna burn gaffes down and your gonna die.”
On January 19, 2025, an attempt to kidnap Mr Cahalane was organised by Kennedy’s network, involving defendants Jean Mukuna, 24, Arrone Mukuna, 25, and Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 23, among others. A month later, on February 21, 2025, the attack came. Two men threw sulphuric acid over Mr Cahalane at his home in Plymouth. The getaway was described by the prosecution as “a comedy”, with what was termed the “worst getaway car in the country”. One of the vehicles involved broke down on the M4 in Wiltshire, and Israel Augustus, 26, of Tottenham, was captured on CCTV there.
Mr Cahalane managed to speak to police from his hospital bed before he died on May 3, 2025, ten weeks after the attack. He told officers that he believed Ryan Kennedy, known as Frost, had ordered his death. He also said his debts stemmed from a junior dealer who had run off and from his own gambling losses.
Kennedy had previously boasted about large shipments of cannabis. One message referred to 320kg of the drug in a shipping container, with a wholesale value of £960,000 and a potential retail value of about £3.2 million if sold in single-gram deals. Mr Cahalane had once refused an offer from Frost to act as a “flyer” transporting drugs from Thailand, instead trying to raise money through smaller, regular deals.
The Trial and Convictions
Ten defendants were tried over the killing, with the jury delivering verdicts after 40 hours and 45 minutes of deliberation over a trial that lasted 15 to 18 weeks at Winchester Crown Court.
Abdulrasheed Adedoja, 23, of Neasden, London, and Israel Augustus, 26, of Tottenham, London, were found guilty of murder. Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 23, of London, was convicted of manslaughter but cleared of murder. Jean Mukuna, 24, and Arrone Mukuna, 25, both of Camden, London, were found guilty of attempted kidnap. Isanah Sungum, 22, of Edmonton, London, was found guilty of participating in an organised crime group involved in the supply of drugs and the enforcement of drug debts, in which Ryan Kennedy played a leading part. He was acquitted of murder and manslaughter.
Two other defendants, Jude Hill, 43, of Plymouth, and Isanah Sungum, were found not guilty of murder or manslaughter. Hill has admitted to other offences and will be sentenced later. Jenna Said, 40, of Plymouth, was discharged from the case. Brian Kalemba, 23, of Barking, London, was cleared of murder and manslaughter and also discharged from a charge of participating in criminal activities of an organised crime group. Kalemba’s defence was that he had been hired solely as a driver to take another man, Kelvin Asante, from London to Plymouth on February 19, 2025, and left soon after, having never heard of the city. He had previous convictions for drug dealing. Abdulrasheed Adedoja argued that arranging a driver did not make him an “employee” of Frost, though he confirmed having cash from selling cannabis.
All five defendants who were convicted of the most serious charges – Wilson, Adedoja, Augustus, Bakas-Sithole, and Sungum – were discharged of a charge of attempted grievous bodily harm.
Family Tribute
Speaking after Mr Cahalane’s death, his family paid tribute to him. “Danny was an outstanding father and son,” they said. “Danny and his mum had so much love for each other. He is well loved by his family and friends and as a family we cherish his love and memories.”
Sentencing for all convicted individuals is scheduled to take place at a later date.
