00:00:00
[AUDIO LOGO]
00:00:05
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:00:11
[SURGING TUNE]
00:00:20
NARRATOR: At just past
8:30 in the evening,
00:00:23
a 16-year-old boy is found
bleeding in the street.
00:00:26
[SIREN BLARING]
00:00:28
ADE GEORGE:
The initial 999 calls
00:00:29
that came in came
from two passers
00:00:31
by who spoke
to the ambulance service
00:00:34
and talked them
through what they
00:00:35
could see at the scene,
which was a young man lying
00:00:37
on the floor.
00:00:38
And they perceived
that he'd been stabbed.
00:00:41
Understandably, they were very
distressed by what they'd seen
00:00:44
and were trying their best
to administer first aid
00:00:46
in difficult circumstances.
00:00:48
It was clear that this was
a really serious incident
00:00:50
and that the victim
was critically injured.
00:00:54
NIKITA KANDA: I called my dad.
00:00:55
And he goes, the boy is gone.
00:00:57
That's all he
said, boy is gone.
00:01:02
NARRATOR: This video,
provided by a neighbor,
00:01:04
shows a threatening man.
00:01:06
He's seen walking past
a home holding an ax.
00:01:09
[MAN SCREAMING]
00:01:13
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:01:14
[POUNDING]
00:01:22
[WHOOSH]
00:01:24
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
00:01:27
POOJA KANDA: About 6 o'clock,
I went to my meditation class.
00:01:32
[ECHOING DRUM]
00:01:40
And my neighbor who was
there as well at that time,
00:01:43
she got a call.
00:01:45
And she said,
Pooja, there's been
00:01:49
stabbing outside our house.
00:01:51
[PHONE RINGING, SIREN BLARING]
00:01:53
I rang my husband.
00:01:54
And I told him,
there's something
00:01:57
going on outside the house.
00:02:01
Where is Ronan?
00:02:02
Oh, yeah.
00:02:03
He looks out the window.
00:02:05
He said, oh, yeah,
something's going on.
00:02:07
Loads of people are out there.
00:02:09
Police is outside.
00:02:11
And then he goes out
to see what's going on.
00:02:15
And he gives me a call.
00:02:18
They're saying it's Indian boy.
00:02:22
They think it's Ronan.
00:02:23
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:02:25
NARRATOR: Rapid
response doctors
00:02:26
work frantically, performing
surgery where Ronan fell.
00:02:32
But their efforts are in vain.
00:02:37
- The injuries were
so catastrophic that they
00:02:40
were unable to save his life.
00:02:44
Ronan was declared
deceased at 21:09
00:02:46
hours by the attending doctor.
00:02:52
What I was essentially
faced with was a murder,
00:02:55
you know, a really violent
attack in broad daylight.
00:03:02
NARRATOR: Pooja races from
her class to the crime scene.
00:03:08
- I'm saying, let me
through to the policeman,
00:03:11
who's taped the whole area,
and they won't let me in.
00:03:15
I tried pushing.
00:03:17
I screamed, I screamed.
00:03:19
They wouldn't let me through.
00:03:22
Then the ambulance
guy came forward.
00:03:25
They said they tried to operate
on him to save his life,
00:03:31
and they couldn't.
00:03:32
[FRANTIC MUSIC]
00:03:34
I'm like, no!
00:03:37
This is not-- you cannot
tell me that my son
00:03:41
has been stabbed and died.
00:03:48
No, you can't tell me that.
00:03:55
NARRATOR: As night
draws in, police
00:03:57
searched the crime
scene for evidence
00:04:00
and canvassed the area
for potential witnesses.
00:04:04
[THROBBING]
00:04:05
ADE GEORGE: The golden hour
is really important for us
00:04:07
to maximize all the
opportunities that we possibly
00:04:09
can, to obtain some accounts
as to what may have happened,
00:04:13
to do a little bit
of door to door in order
00:04:15
to be able to see if there's
any other witnesses that
00:04:17
may have seen things because
they're in the home addresses.
00:04:21
One was a 15-year-old girl who
witnessed what had happened.
00:04:24
She was able to describe
seeing two people stabbed Ronan
00:04:27
and then run away.
00:04:29
And we had a third witness
who was in her home address,
00:04:33
and she also saw
them running away.
00:04:35
So who are
the offenders in this?
00:04:37
What direction
have they made off?
00:04:39
Did the deceased
know who they were?
00:04:43
Is this a gang-related
sort of incident?
00:04:45
Could this be a robbery?
00:04:48
What struck me really was just
the quiet nature of the road.
00:04:52
It's a very unusual thing
to occur in broad daylight
00:04:56
in a residential area.
00:04:58
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
00:05:04
NIKITA KANDA: I just
finished university.
00:05:06
Me and my friends
decided to book
00:05:08
an end-of-year trip to Greece.
00:05:12
So it's around about--
00:05:13
think in Greece.
00:05:14
It was like half
9 or 10 o'clock.
00:05:17
[GLEEFUL CHATTER]
00:05:19
And then I received a Snapchat
message from one of my friends.
00:05:23
And she said, hey
Nikita, I hope you're OK.
00:05:26
I know you're
in Greece, but I just
00:05:27
wanted to let you know
that there's a blue tent
00:05:29
outside your house.
00:05:30
It looks like
there's somebody's
00:05:32
been murdered out there.
00:05:33
And I was like, oh,
what do you mean?
00:05:34
She said, yeah,
it's a 16-year-old
00:05:35
boy that's been murdered.
00:05:37
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:05:39
First thing I did
was I called my mom.
00:05:42
I think she didn't pick up.
00:05:44
Then I called my dad.
00:05:46
And he goes, boy is gone.
00:05:47
That's all he
said, boy is gone.
00:05:50
And I was like, what?
00:05:52
And he was like, he's
like, Ronan has died.
00:05:56
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:05:58
[THUNDERCLAP]
00:06:04
POOJA KANDA: He was
lying on the road.
00:06:10
I was not gonna leave him.
00:06:15
So I sat on that road
because he was on there.
00:06:22
Couple of neighbors
sat next to me.
00:06:26
And I told everyone to just go.
00:06:28
Leave me alone.
00:06:32
They said, it's raining.
00:06:34
Come inside.
00:06:36
[RAIN POURING]
00:06:39
How could I leave
my son on the road?
00:06:42
He's already gone.
00:06:45
How could I leave
him on that road
00:06:49
and go inside
and sit on the sofa?
00:06:53
That's impossible.
00:06:55
[THUNDERCLAP]
00:07:02
[FRANTIC MUSIC]
00:07:09
ADE GEORGE: Obviously,
being in a residential area,
00:07:11
I was aware that there was lots
of home surveillance cameras.
00:07:16
So it's about tasking officers
to go and start knocking doors
00:07:18
and seeing what home
surveillance footage
00:07:21
they can find from
addresses along this road
00:07:24
on the left hand side and along
the road on the right hand
00:07:27
side, but also from cameras
in the rear gardens,
00:07:31
at the front of houses,
both doorbell cameras and
00:07:35
traditional sort of home
surveillance cameras.
00:07:38
What we wanted was some footage
of the incident occurring
00:07:41
or some footage
of suspects either
00:07:44
going to or from the scene.
00:07:47
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:07:49
[AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:07:52
NIKITA KANDA: Ronan was
just an amazing person.
00:07:57
Say something.
00:07:58
- Hi, I'm Ronan.
00:08:00
[LAUGHING]
00:08:02
- It's crazy because even
though obviously, he's a boy,
00:08:04
I'm a girl, we're
five years apart,
00:08:07
you would think we don't have
many interests and stuff.
00:08:09
But we did share a lot
of the same interests.
00:08:13
We used to watch
the football together.
00:08:16
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:08:17
We both were a massive
Liverpool fans.
00:08:21
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:08:22
My mom, she always used
to say, you were like twins.
00:08:26
MAN: And also look at--
00:08:27
NIKITA KANDA: Lynn.
00:08:28
MAN: They're dirty words.
00:08:30
- He was literally
the funniest person ever.
00:08:34
And I think one thing we all
used to really love about him
00:08:36
is his dry sense of humor.
00:08:38
[FAINT DANCE MUSIC]
00:08:40
We would go to, like,
family's houses,
00:08:42
and he would just say
what everyone's thinking.
00:08:43
Everyone would just
sit there like,
00:08:44
did he really just say that?
00:08:46
And everyone would love it.
00:08:47
And they would just laugh,
like, endlessly at him.
00:08:50
[AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:08:52
And if somebody ever
asked him something,
00:08:54
he would want to make
sure 100% he could do it.
00:08:57
He literally would do
anything for anybody.
00:09:06
[CARS WHOOSHING]
00:09:09
NARRATOR: The search
for evidence pays off.
00:09:11
Officers recover video
from several houses,
00:09:15
showing Ronan walking
home along Mount Road
00:09:18
before he was attacked.
00:09:21
[FRANTIC MUSIC]
00:09:22
ADE GEORGE:
The information the family
00:09:24
gave us actually gave
us an idea as to what
00:09:27
Ronan had been up to that day.
00:09:29
So about 8 o'clock,
he was walking down
00:09:31
to his friend's house
in order to purchase
00:09:33
a PlayStation controller.
00:09:37
This is Ronan now being
picked up on a camera
00:09:40
at the bottom of Mount
Road, heading back
00:09:42
up towards his home address.
00:09:45
He's just walking up the road.
00:09:47
He's in a world
of his own, really.
00:09:48
I think he's listening
to some music,
00:09:49
having done something very
normal, very innocent,
00:09:52
going to buy
a PlayStation controller,
00:09:54
just heading home
in order to use that.
00:09:57
NARRATOR: As they scour
the video, investigators spot
00:10:01
something suspicious, a red
car circling the area.
00:10:10
ADE GEORGE: The home
surveillance
00:10:11
footage identified
that they don't just
00:10:13
drive into Mount Road once.
00:10:15
They go down some
of the side roads,
00:10:16
they go back onto
the main road,
00:10:17
and then they come
back into Mount Road.
00:10:20
[CAR WHOOSHING]
00:10:22
[UNSETTLING PIANO TUNE]
00:10:28
And then you see that
the vehicle is now
00:10:30
doing another maneuver,
turning around in Mount Road,
00:10:33
and then heading
back in the direction
00:10:35
that Ronan has just walked in.
00:10:40
So this is Ronan coming
from the left hand side,
00:10:43
walking up Mount Road.
00:10:46
And now you see the red
vehicle turn into Beech Avenue.
00:10:51
The car is parked up
in one of the side roads.
00:10:56
NARRATOR: Then the two
men head towards Ronan.
00:10:59
[CAR WHOOSHES]
00:11:01
ADE GEORGE: You see then
two suspects running up.
00:11:06
And you'll see them running
up just as that van comes up,
00:11:10
both brandishing weapons.
00:11:12
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:11:17
We actually had no idea
who these individuals were.
00:11:21
But it gave us a description
of the suspects.
00:11:26
NARRATOR: The same camera angle
shows the two men fleeing.
00:11:30
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:11:32
ADE GEORGE: They
both turned around,
00:11:33
gone back to the car, running
at speed, and driven away.
00:11:38
NARRATOR:
For detectives, tracking
00:11:40
down this small red
car is high priority.
00:11:49
ADE GEORGE: From the discovery
of that initial footage,
00:11:50
we were then able to deploy
officers to continue
00:11:53
the CCTV trawl to really narrow
down what potential vehicles
00:11:57
this could be.
00:12:00
[DARK AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:12:03
NARRATOR: When Nikita
arrives back in the UK,
00:12:06
she's met by her aunt.
00:12:11
NIKITA KANDA: I had
convinced myself
00:12:13
that I was gonna see
Ronan at the airport
00:12:15
and that this was all
some sort of sick joke
00:12:17
that my family
were playing on me.
00:12:20
And I just remember
seeing her, and
00:12:22
I just burst out
into tears thinking,
00:12:24
what the hell has happened?
00:12:28
And they drove me home, and it
was literally just the worst
00:12:32
thing ever, honestly.
00:12:37
It was police tapes everywhere.
00:12:40
My brother's blood
was on the road.
00:12:42
[SCARE CHORD]
00:12:44
My mom was like, just on the
floor, crying her eyes out.
00:12:50
POOJA KANDA: I'm still there!
00:12:52
I, mentally, still sit there.
00:12:55
I-- it's not gone from me.
00:12:58
This never will go from me.
00:12:59
But it's-- it's so horrific and
sickening that your child is--
00:13:08
within that second, my son
was just taken from me.
00:13:14
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:13:21
JOE MILLINGTON:
So the local areas,
00:13:23
you've got the good
side of things
00:13:24
where like there's a bit
of a community going on.
00:13:27
And then you've got
the bad side of things
00:13:28
where it's like the youths
going around on bikes
00:13:30
with weapons, et cetera.
00:13:32
Like, that's just a common
thing in our area now.
00:13:38
So I'd say knife crime, like,
in Wolverhampton as a city is
00:13:41
like, it's a growing problem.
00:13:45
I can't remember the last
time where I felt safe walking
00:13:48
through Wolverhampton.
00:13:50
It's a horrible feeling.
00:13:52
But as bad as it sounds,
it's normality now.
00:13:54
And I think there's
possibly some people
00:13:57
that were involved with gangs.
00:13:59
I know of, like, a few
people that definitely were,
00:14:02
but there's people that will
go around saying that they're
00:14:04
in a gambling or not.
You know what I mean?
00:14:06
They'll just do it
for bragging rights.
00:14:09
NARRATOR: Because there
are teen gangs in the area,
00:14:11
detectives need to look
into Ronan's background
00:14:14
to see if he was involved.
00:14:17
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:14:22
ADE GEORGE: Ronan
wasn't known to police.
00:14:24
He wasn't known
on any of our systems.
00:14:27
And so therefore,
that takes away,
00:14:28
like, kind of that element of,
is this a gang-related sort
00:14:31
of incident,
because you've got somebody
00:14:33
who's got no
previous, like, kind
00:14:35
of contact with the police.
00:14:39
NARRATOR: As police
pieced together
00:14:40
Ronan's last hours
alive, they discover
00:14:43
that he'd visited a local
snooker club earlier that day.
00:14:50
ADE GEORGE: This footage
here is Ronan, getting out
00:14:52
of the car with
his friends, going
00:14:54
to enjoy an evening with
his friends, you know,
00:14:57
at the snooker club.
00:14:59
You see him, like,
kind of walk in, being
00:15:01
like, kind of,
smile on his face,
00:15:02
greeting his
friends, et cetera.
00:15:05
Having a little bit of a play
around with some of his
00:15:07
friends, just acting
as 16-year-old kids
00:15:11
do and 16-year-old lads do.
00:15:15
This footage really
does demonstrate
00:15:17
that he'd got lots of friends.
00:15:18
He was a popular kid.
00:15:23
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
00:15:33
JOE MILLINGTON: Ronan literally
just lived, like, a five-minute
00:15:35
walk away from my house.
00:15:38
He used to walk to school
with me literally every day.
00:15:42
He was one of my closest mates.
00:15:46
So Ronan was really
popular at school.
00:15:48
Literally everyone
got on with him.
00:15:50
I don't think you could go
to anyone from our year group
00:15:52
and ask him about Ronan
and them say a bad thing.
00:15:55
I think genuinely,
everyone loved him.
00:15:58
Just a happy person.
00:16:00
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:16:01
He was just always
bubbly, energetic,
00:16:03
and he'd bring your mood
up no matter what.
00:16:07
I think that's what
people loved about him.
00:16:09
Like, that's what
I loved about him.
00:16:11
I think that's what
everyone else did as well.
00:16:13
[LAUGHTER]
00:16:16
- Did you happen to lock that?
00:16:17
- No!
Hey!
00:16:19
[LAUGHTER]
00:16:20
- He was a really popular
child, really popular kid.
00:16:23
Life and soul of the family,
really smiley.
00:16:25
You know, had lots of friends.
00:16:27
Just a really friendly,
polite, and nice kid.
00:16:32
Nobody had an idea
as to who would have
00:16:34
targeted Ronan in this way.
00:16:37
NIKITA KANDA: Me, my mom,
and my dad, we were like,
00:16:40
who on earth would
want to kill Ronan?
00:16:42
So the first thing we
thought was maybe someone
00:16:44
had robbed him, somebody had
taken something off of him
00:16:47
because we couldn't
see any other motive.
00:16:50
[CARS WHOOSHING]
00:16:52
NARRATOR: Police retrieve
more home surveillance
00:16:54
footage from the neighborhood.
00:16:57
It shows Ronan walking
home after he'd picked
00:16:59
up the PlayStation controller.
00:17:04
ADE GEORGE: So we discovered
some home surveillance
00:17:06
footage on Mount Road which
showed the actual offense
00:17:09
taking place.
00:17:11
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:17:12
It was a completely
cowardly attack.
00:17:18
You see that Ronan doesn't
have any idea what's happening,
00:17:22
no idea that
anybody's behind him.
00:17:25
[WHOOSHING]
00:17:27
You can see them then
running towards Ronan.
00:17:30
[AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:17:37
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:17:40
He's first stabbed
to his right hand side.
00:17:45
And then he's
stabbed in the chest.
00:17:50
He staggers up
the road, where he
00:17:51
eventually collapses and dies.
00:17:58
My gut reaction from
seeing the footage
00:18:00
was just the sheer
size of the weapons
00:18:02
that the suspects
decided to use.
00:18:04
They made no effort
to conceal them.
00:18:05
So when we see them on the home
surveillance footage,
00:18:08
they are running towards Ronan.
00:18:10
And they've got those
weapons, like, kind
00:18:11
of held out in front of them.
00:18:13
And you can just see
just how long they are.
00:18:17
They are like swords.
They're not knives.
00:18:19
They're swords.
00:18:21
It really did demonstrate that
there was an intent to cause
00:18:24
serious injury to Ronan.
00:18:28
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
00:18:33
NARRATOR: Ronan's killers tried
to obscure their identity,
00:18:37
but there are important
clues in this footage which
00:18:40
could help the investigation.
00:18:44
NICK BARREIRO: Video forensics
is the scientific analysis,
00:18:49
enhancement, authentication
of any sort of video evidence
00:18:53
that may be used
in a criminal case.
00:18:55
It's the scientific analysis
of recorded evidence.
00:19:00
These attackers have attempted
to conceal their identity.
00:19:04
They're wearing hoods.
00:19:07
We can't see their faces.
00:19:08
They're wearing face masks.
00:19:10
But there are still
some details that
00:19:12
are visible in this video.
00:19:14
I would like to enhance
those details
00:19:16
by adjusting
the brightness and contrast
00:19:19
to get a better
look at the attacker
00:19:23
that we see on the screen here.
00:19:24
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:19:26
So although this
attacker has attempted
00:19:29
to conceal his identity,
the jacket that he's wearing
00:19:33
has a distinct logo
on the left pocket.
00:19:38
We can also see
some characteristics
00:19:40
about the other clothing he's
wearing, the green pants.
00:19:44
It appears that there's
a green hooded sweatshirt
00:19:47
or a green hooded shirt of some
sort under his black jacket.
00:19:52
It really appears that although
the attacker in the back
00:19:57
seems to be wearing
gloves on both hands,
00:19:59
the attacker in front
seems to only
00:20:01
be wearing one
glove, which means
00:20:04
he likely left fingerprints
on this murder weapon.
00:20:08
So if this weapon
was ever found,
00:20:11
there would likely be
fingerprints recovered
00:20:13
that matched this suspect.
00:20:15
All of these details certainly
help the investigation.
00:20:20
No one of these details will
necessarily positively identify
00:20:24
one of these suspects,
but every bit of detail
00:20:28
that can be had is important.
00:20:31
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
00:20:35
NARRATOR: The results
of Ronan's autopsy
00:20:37
confirmed the cause
of his death.
00:20:40
[DARK AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:20:42
ADE GEORGE: Dr. Randall
identified two stab wounds.
00:20:45
The first stab wound penetrated
the right side of his abdomen
00:20:48
and went in 20 centimeters.
00:20:51
And the second stab wound
actually penetrated his heart
00:20:54
and went into a depth
of 17 centimeters.
00:20:59
It literally went
through his heart
00:21:01
and almost came
out the other side.
00:21:03
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
00:21:10
JOE MILLINGTON:
So the following day,
00:21:12
there was a lot of flowers.
00:21:14
It just shows like how
much Ronan was loved.
00:21:17
I think the amount
of like, love that was
00:21:19
shown just through flowers--
00:21:21
like, Liverpool tops
is a massive one.
00:21:24
There was a few Liverpool tops,
hoodies, candles, everything.
00:21:27
Like, it was a big effort
from like the whole community.
00:21:32
NIKITA KANDA: It really
shows you Ronan's character
00:21:34
when every single
person around him,
00:21:36
so his teachers, his friends,
and just anyone who's met him
00:21:40
has such amazing things
to say about him.
00:21:45
Ronan was the least
deserving of anything
00:21:47
violent happening to him.
00:21:52
Nobody on earth deserves
that and let alone somebody
00:21:56
so sort of pure and innocent.
00:21:58
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:22:01
NARRATOR: As police
sift through thousands
00:22:02
of hours of CCTV, they
make a breakthrough.
00:22:08
They identify the moment
when Ronan's attackers
00:22:10
got into the red
getaway car and
00:22:14
capture its license plate.
00:22:20
ADE GEORGE: That
registration number
00:22:21
of that vehicle led us to the
name of a registered keeper and
00:22:24
a home address.
00:22:25
And so I made the decision that
we should attend that address
00:22:28
and arrest the driver
of that vehicle and
00:22:31
any other young males
in that address that may have
00:22:33
been involved in the incident.
00:22:36
NARRATOR: Police arrest
the driver of the car and
00:22:39
another young man
who they believe
00:22:41
was sitting in the front seat.
00:22:43
They're taken
in for questioning
00:22:45
but refused to talk.
00:22:50
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
00:22:55
BAL BUJARH: I think of Ronan
pretty much every single day.
00:22:59
It was a joy and a delight
to be Ronan's tutor.
00:23:04
You know, he was modest.
00:23:06
He was friendly.
00:23:08
He was an intelligent
young man.
00:23:10
And just a smashing,
smashing kid.
00:23:14
Just smashing kid, I think.
00:23:17
What do you think
of the garden?
00:23:20
POOJA KANDA: I think
it's beautiful.
00:23:21
I think it's so important.
00:23:25
BAL BUJARH: It's just nice
to come out here and just take
00:23:28
a moment to think of Ronan.
00:23:30
And I think it's been a
wonderful idea to put together.
00:23:34
I'm hoping it gets pupils
to ask those questions.
00:23:38
What's the Peace Garden for?
00:23:39
Who was Ronan?
00:23:41
What happened to him?
00:23:42
And I think that's a way
of educating people around--
00:23:45
- Yes.
00:23:46
--what's happened.
00:23:48
And as you know, he was
a big Liverpool Football fan.
00:23:50
POOJA KANDA: Oh, yes.
00:23:51
BAL BUJARH: I guess
it's quite fitting
00:23:53
to use the Liverpool mantra
that, you'll never walk alone.
00:23:58
And that's
heartfelt. And I hope
00:24:01
you sincerely understand that.
00:24:03
- I do.
00:24:05
I do.
00:24:06
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
00:24:12
NARRATOR: As the police
investigation
00:24:14
into Ronan's murder continues,
they get an unexpected break.
00:24:20
ADE GEORGE: I get
notified that somebody
00:24:22
called Sukhman Shergill
was in the front office
00:24:24
at Bloxwich Police
Station with his uncle.
00:24:29
He notified staff
that he had been
00:24:32
present when Ronan had been
murdered the night before.
00:24:35
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:24:36
NARRATOR: 16-year-old
Sukhman admits he was
00:24:39
at the scene but insists
he wasn't involved
00:24:42
in Ronan's stabbing.
00:24:45
- We were able to determine
very early on that what
00:24:47
he was saying was the lie.
00:24:50
We knew from CCTV
only two people
00:24:51
were present
during that murder,
00:24:52
and both were carrying weapons.
00:24:54
And so therefore it was a fair
assumption that actually,
00:24:57
if for him to have been
there and be a witness,
00:24:59
he had to be that second
male at the incident.
00:25:03
He was promptly arrested
on suspicion of murder.
00:25:07
[DISTANT SIREN WAILING]
00:25:09
[DRAMATIC MUSIC]
00:25:15
JOE MILLINGTON:
This is Mount Road.
00:25:17
Up and down the street, there's
ribbons on the lampposts.
00:25:22
The ribbons basically
go from the start
00:25:23
to the finish of the street.
00:25:26
Anywhere you go on the street,
you'll see a purple ribbon.
00:25:30
It literally just symbolizes
what happened to Ronan
00:25:33
and who he was.
00:25:36
A few days after,
me and my mates
00:25:38
decided to come up to the
street to see Ronan's family.
00:25:42
As we got to the bottom of the
street, we started walking up.
00:25:44
I remember hearing Ronan's
mom and sister screaming.
00:25:48
To scream that loud, to the
point where I can hear it
00:25:50
from the bottom of the street,
and it's a long street, like,
00:25:53
it is a really long road.
00:25:55
So to like, be
able to hear that,
00:25:58
I knew that
the pain was insane.
00:26:08
NARRATOR: In an effort
to get Sukhman to talk,
00:26:11
police show him the video
of Ronan's murder.
00:26:16
Faced with the evidence, he
admits that a kid from school
00:26:19
owed him money, and he and a
friend set out to find him.
00:26:24
But he continues
to claim that he wasn't
00:26:27
the one who stabbed Ronan.
00:26:30
ADE GEORGE: Sukhman described
that he was actually
00:26:32
running behind
the other suspect
00:26:35
and that he paused
slightly when
00:26:37
he realized that the person
was not the individual that
00:26:40
owed him money.
00:26:41
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:26:42
But that the second
suspect, who
00:26:45
he didn't name at that
particular moment in time,
00:26:48
had approached him
anyway and stabbed him.
00:26:53
NARRATOR: With Sukhman
refusing to say more and
00:26:56
the identity of the other
attacker is still a mystery,
00:26:59
police turned to his
school friends for help.
00:27:03
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
00:27:08
JOE MILLINGTON:
Sukhman was really
00:27:09
close in our friend group.
00:27:12
And he was quite
close to Ronan.
00:27:13
He used to be on PlayStation
with us when Ronan was on.
00:27:20
It was so weird seeing
someone going from like one
00:27:23
of your mates to being
locked up for stabbing
00:27:25
one of your other mates.
00:27:28
I think it was
the day after, we went
00:27:29
to school for the school trip.
00:27:31
And I remember
like, we all just
00:27:33
sat at the table trying to work
out who it could have been.
00:27:38
What made us notice
who it could have been
00:27:41
was who didn't turn
up for the trip.
00:27:43
The two people that were
missing, one of the lads,
00:27:46
the one that was in our friend
group, Sukhman, no one
00:27:48
really expected that.
00:27:49
But Prabjeet, you thought,
yeah, this is a possibility.
00:27:53
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
00:27:56
Prabjeet wasn't the most
well behaved kid at school.
00:28:00
I remember the school excluded
him just before the GCSEs
00:28:02
because he had a fight.
00:28:04
And obviously, that just gave
him the opportunity to go and
00:28:06
do whatever he wanted to do.
00:28:10
NARRATOR: Could Prabjeet be
the boy who stabbed Ronan?
00:28:15
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:28:19
ADE GEORGE: We start looking
at mobile phone evidence,
00:28:22
so telecommunications data
between Sukhman and Prabjeet,
00:28:25
to see if there was any contact
between the two of them,
00:28:28
to look at location
data, to find
00:28:29
out where that phone was
during the time of the offense.
00:28:34
NARRATOR: The search through
mobile data pays off,
00:28:37
linking Sukhman
to 16-year-old Prabjeet
00:28:40
the night Ronan was killed.
00:28:43
- That gave me
reasonable suspicion
00:28:45
that he was involved
in this offense,
00:28:48
that he was that
second offender.
00:28:51
He was arrested
on suspicion of murder.
00:28:56
[BIRDS CHIRPING]
00:28:58
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
00:29:02
- I guess one
of the things that
00:29:04
really angers me is when
they took Ronan's life,
00:29:09
they took away that
potential, the ability.
00:29:12
What was Ronan going to be
in 20 years' time, in 30 years
00:29:14
time?
We don't know.
00:29:16
But he would have been--
00:29:17
he would have been
somebody who would
00:29:19
have made a contribution
to the world, the community,
00:29:23
the society he lives in.
00:29:24
And that was taken from him.
00:29:25
And that's wrong
on every single level.
00:29:28
POOJA KANDA: Yes, I
still look at his photo,
00:29:31
and I look in his eyes.
00:29:34
What a life he had in his eyes,
the twinkle he had in his eyes,
00:29:39
the happiness he had
in his smile, the kindness
00:29:44
he had in his heart.
00:29:47
In all honesty--
00:29:52
--I am still stuck on that day.
00:29:55
And I will always be
the rest of my life
00:29:58
there in that corner.
00:30:05
[OMINOUS MUSIC]
00:30:10
ADE GEORGE: After
Prabjeet was arrested,
00:30:12
I deployed officers
to his home address
00:30:13
in order to carry out a search.
00:30:18
We didn't recover
the murder weapon,
00:30:20
and we didn't
recover any clothing.
00:30:23
However, what we did recover
in the bin of his property
00:30:26
was some packaging
for a Ninja sword set.
00:30:32
NARRATOR: Detectives track
down the post office where
00:30:34
the weapons were collected.
00:30:40
ADE GEORGE: So this is
footage of Prabjeet Veadhesa
00:30:44
leaving his home address
and walking to the post office.
00:30:52
And this is him
walking back home now.
00:30:55
And you see, obviously,
when he goes out,
00:30:57
he's not carrying anything.
00:30:58
And when he comes back,
he's got this parcel.
00:31:01
And we know that
there was a number
00:31:02
of weapons in that package.
00:31:08
SOHOM DAS: When Prabjeet
was identified as a suspect,
00:31:11
he absolutely fitted the
profile of somebody that would
00:31:14
commit violence with knives.
00:31:16
You've got somebody
who seems actually
00:31:18
quite obsessed
with owning knives.
00:31:20
I mean, he had an entire
collection of them.
00:31:22
And he has a history
of anti-social behavior,
00:31:25
getting into fights, getting
expelled from school.
00:31:28
So it's not surprising
to me that this escalated
00:31:30
into eventual violence.
00:31:36
NARRATOR: Police
then track Prabjeet
00:31:37
and Sukhman's movements
the day Ronan was killed.
00:31:41
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:31:44
ADE GEORGE: This was
about 6:34, 6:35.
00:31:49
So then you see Sukhman
Shergill arriving
00:31:53
at Prabjeet's address.
00:31:54
You see him walking across
the field towards him.
00:31:57
He's wearing a long, sort
of knee-length quilted jacket.
00:32:01
He's wearing a face
mask and his hoods up.
00:32:06
NARRATOR: Sukhman and Prabjeet
can be seen leaving
00:32:08
the house later that evening.
00:32:11
It's picked up
on a camera next door.
00:32:17
ADE GEORGE: The time is now, on
the home surveillance footage,
00:32:19
at 19:29 hours.
00:32:21
So they've been in Prabjeet's
address just short of an hour.
00:32:26
As Prabjeet leaves
the home address,
00:32:29
he's got his head down, looking
towards the floor, which
00:32:33
I say is a clear effort to
disguise himself from a camera
00:32:38
that maybe he knew the next
door neighbors had.
00:32:42
NARRATOR: This footage
of Prabjeet and Sukhman
00:32:44
together, wearing
the same clothes
00:32:46
as the men who attacked
Ronan, along with the footage
00:32:50
of Prabjeet collecting
the Ninja sword,
00:32:53
is crucial evidence.
00:32:57
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:33:00
ADE GEORGE: We then set
about interviewing Prabjeet.
00:33:05
Initially, he gave
a no-comment interview
00:33:08
and didn't give us
any sort of account
00:33:10
as to what had happened.
00:33:14
NARRATOR: However,
when Prabjeet finds out
00:33:16
that Ronan's murder
was caught on camera
00:33:19
and that Sukhman is already
in custody, he decides to talk.
00:33:26
- He admitted to being
the person that stabbed Ronan--
00:33:29
[DISCORDANT TUNE]
00:33:33
--that he and his
friend Sukhman
00:33:35
had been to enforce on a debt
that was owed to Sukhman,
00:33:38
and that Ronan was not
the intended target.
00:33:42
Their intention had
only been to threaten
00:33:45
or scare him in order
to pay back the money.
00:33:54
[STREET BUZZING]
00:33:58
SOHOM DAS: The reasons
why some children carry
00:34:00
knives are well established.
00:34:02
Sometimes it's down to status.
00:34:04
So they want to intimidate
others within their peer group
00:34:08
and as a sign of gaining
respect through dominance.
00:34:11
In a situation where a peer
group is known to carry knives,
00:34:15
it's not difficult to see
how incidents can escalate
00:34:19
because they often can
be incited or encouraged
00:34:21
to use that knife,
because if they don't, then
00:34:24
they might be seen as weak.
00:34:27
[DARK AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:34:29
ADE GEORGE: What's sad is
that it was a true case
00:34:31
of mistaken identity.
00:34:36
[CAR WHOOSHING]
00:34:38
Ronan was not killed
because he was a target.
00:34:43
He wasn't killed because he'd
been in dispute with either
00:34:46
of the two suspects.
00:34:50
He was killed because they
mistook him for somebody else.
00:34:55
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:35:01
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
00:35:06
NIKITA KANDA: That night,
the police rang up.
00:35:10
And they said, we've
charged Prabjeet Veadhesa
00:35:13
and Sukhman Shergill.
00:35:18
I just remember me, my mom, and
my dad looking at each other,
00:35:21
like, who the hell
are these people?
00:35:25
The whole thing was
just so, so confusing.
00:35:32
[CAR WHOOSHES]
00:35:35
JOE MILLINGTON: At the funeral,
my whole friend group
00:35:37
was there.
00:35:38
And when we went to,
like, the crematorium,
00:35:41
and we were stood
in a room, and, like,
00:35:43
you got the music
on and everything,
00:35:46
that was when it hit me.
00:35:48
I don't think I properly
cried until the funeral.
00:35:52
And then it was just
all hell let loose.
00:35:55
But yeah, it was--
it was mental.
00:36:00
[FRANTIC MUSIC]
00:36:02
NARRATOR: Almost 10 months
after Ronan's murder,
00:36:05
four young men go on trial for
his killing, Prabjeet Veadhesa,
00:36:12
Sukhman Shergill,
and the driver and
00:36:14
passenger in the red
getaway car
00:36:16
for assisting in the attack.
00:36:24
DAVID MASON: There
were four defendants
00:36:26
in the trial, two who
got out of the car
00:36:28
and two who
remained in the car.
00:36:30
[DARK AMBIENT MUSIC]
00:36:32
All four defendants pleaded
not guilty to murder.
00:36:37
The defense of the two
in the vehicle,
00:36:40
who didn't get out
of the vehicle,
00:36:41
was that they had no idea
what was gonna happen.
00:36:44
But as far as the two who'd
been on the street, Veadhesa
00:36:48
and Shergill, they were
both saying that they only
00:36:50
intended to scare
the young man that they
00:36:53
were chasing up the street.
00:36:55
They can say that
for all they like,
00:36:57
but the fact is,
Ronan was stabbed
00:36:59
twice, very lengthy
stab wounds, including
00:37:02
one through his heart.
00:37:04
And you don't do that if you're
just trying to scare somebody.
00:37:08
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
00:37:10
NIKITA KANDA: Mr.
Mason's opening statement
00:37:13
was very powerful
because he showed everybody
00:37:15
the truth straight away.
00:37:17
He showed the jury the CCTV.
00:37:21
Everybody looked horrified
at what they had just seen.
00:37:28
I mean, if you think
about it, the jury
00:37:29
are just 12 normal people.
00:37:32
And you're literally seeing
a child's death in front of you
00:37:35
with a sword, and that
child's screaming for help.
00:37:39
That's horrible.
00:37:40
That is horrific.
00:37:44
DAVID MASON: The murder
weapon was a Ninja sword.
00:37:47
The blade was at least
a foot in length,
00:37:50
and it was razor sharp.
00:37:53
The police managed to obtain
an identical weapon,
00:37:57
because they knew what
it was that Veadhesa
00:37:59
had ordered because they
found the packaging.
00:38:03
Part of the evidence
was footage
00:38:05
of Mr. Veadhesa going
to his local post office
00:38:09
to pick up the weapons
that he had ordered online.
00:38:13
It was legal to buy
such a weapon if you
00:38:16
were over 18 years of age.
00:38:19
Of course, he wasn't.
00:38:20
He had to use false
identification to purchase it.
00:38:27
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:38:36
NICK BARREIRO: So we're looking
at a portion of the audio track
00:38:39
from this video, particularly
the portion where Ronan
00:38:44
is walking up the street
and the attackers are
00:38:47
approaching him from behind.
00:38:50
I wanted to enhance this audio
to see if there was anything
00:38:54
said, anything missed that
you can't hear when listening
00:38:59
to the unenhanced audio.
00:39:03
So I've applied a simple
gain adjustment to increase
00:39:05
the amplitude of the audio.
00:39:11
[CAR WHOOSHING]
00:39:15
The only things I hear are
the vehicle noise, a little bit
00:39:19
of wind noise, and footsteps.
00:39:25
I don't hear any dialogue.
00:39:26
I don't hear any yelling.
00:39:28
These attackers approached
Ronan silently from behind.
00:39:34
Sometimes with recordings,
what you see is what you get.
00:39:39
No matter what we do
to them to enhance them,
00:39:41
we're not gonna extract any
more detail because there
00:39:43
is no more detail there.
00:39:46
The audio makes it clear
that nothing was said,
00:39:49
nothing was yelled at Ronan
before this attack.
00:39:53
They simply ran up
to him and attacked him.
00:40:04
NARRATOR: The trial
takes five weeks.
00:40:07
After all the evidence
is presented to the jury,
00:40:10
they make their decision.
00:40:13
- After 2 hours and 13
minutes of deliberation,
00:40:16
the jury returned
verdicts of murder
00:40:23
against both Prabjeet
Veadhesa and Sukhman Shergill.
00:40:27
Prabjeet Veadhesa
was sentenced to 18
00:40:29
years, so life imprisonment
with a minimum term
00:40:32
of 18 years.
00:40:33
And Sukhman Shergill was
sentenced to life imprisonment
00:40:36
with a minimum term
of 16 years, which
00:40:38
is in line with sentencing
guidelines for convictions
00:40:41
of murder for juveniles.
00:40:45
POOJA KANDA: I remember
we heard guilty.
00:40:49
My husband screamed
in that courtroom.
00:40:54
He said, yes!
00:40:56
You took our child.
00:40:59
You deserve to be
in that jail forever.
00:41:03
I'll never forgive them
for taking my child's life.
00:41:08
The impact is forever.
00:41:13
NARRATOR: Prabjeet is sentenced
for the actual stabbing and
00:41:17
Sukhman for assisting
him in the crime.
00:41:21
[SUSPENSEFUL MUSIC]
00:41:23
DAVID MASON: They found the
other two, who were in the car
00:41:26
and stayed in the car,
not guilty of murder.
00:41:35
[UNSETTLING MUSIC]
00:41:41
To put it bluntly, they were
absolutely torn apart by this,
00:41:47
I mean literally
ripped to shreds.
00:41:51
You can't underestimate
the effect
00:41:53
that this has on a family.
00:41:54
We can all sympathize.
00:41:56
We can all understand or think
we understand how they feel,
00:42:00
but you never, ever, ever
would really understand
00:42:03
how much it destroys a family.
00:42:07
Apart from
the brutality of it and
00:42:09
the loss of life
of a young boy,
00:42:12
one thing that shocks
a lot of people
00:42:14
was the ease with which young
men are able to obtain weapons
00:42:18
like this, the ease with which
the companies who provide them,
00:42:25
provide them without
really checking that
00:42:28
hard as to the validity
of the person
00:42:30
buying that particular weapon.
00:42:32
A bit of ID will do. thank
you very much, in the post,
00:42:35
to get it the next day.
00:42:37
Terrifying, really.
00:42:43
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:42:49
NARRATOR: In the wake
of Ronan's death,
00:42:51
Pooja and her family have
campaigned to ban the sale
00:42:54
of so-called Ninja swords.
00:42:58
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:43:00
SOHOM DAS: In the horrific
aftermath of this tragedy,
00:43:03
the family are trying
to extract something positive.
00:43:06
And one way they've
done this is
00:43:07
by campaigning against
these knives being
00:43:10
available for other children.
00:43:13
Turning these powerful
emotions, like anger and grief,
00:43:16
into something that's
more socially positive.
00:43:21
POOJA KANDA: I just knew
that I had to do something.
00:43:24
Otherwise, I failed Ronan.
00:43:26
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:43:27
These weapons are lethal.
00:43:30
They have no purpose
in our society.
00:43:33
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:43:36
NARRATOR: Pooja's campaign
reached Parliament.
00:43:39
[MUSIC PLAYING]
00:43:41
ALEX NORRIS: We
would broaden the ban
00:43:43
to include a wider
range of weapons
00:43:45
and to toughen existing rules
on serration and length.
00:43:48
And that would mean
finally banning
00:43:50
blades such as Ninja
swords, the weapon
00:43:52
that killed Ronan Kanda.
00:43:55
NARRATOR: It resulted
in what's known as Ronan's law.
00:44:01
- The order before us today
amends the Criminal Justice Act
00:44:04
1988 and adds the Ninja
swords to the list
00:44:08
of prohibited
offensive weapons.
00:44:13
NARRATOR: The sale
of Ninja swords,
00:44:14
like the one that killed Ronan
is now illegal in the UK.
00:44:19
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:44:21
[CONTEMPLATIVE MUSIC]
00:44:24
POOJA KANDA: It
gives me satisfaction
00:44:25
that the Ronan's
law will protect
00:44:27
many other children's lives.
00:44:29
[CAMERA CLICKS]
00:44:31
DAVID MASON:
Obviously, anything
00:44:32
that reduces
the chance of people
00:44:34
being stabbed in the way Ronan
was can only be a good thing.
00:44:41
ADE GEORGE: This was
an absolutely tragic
00:44:43
incident for the family.
00:44:44
And it's completely
torn them apart.
00:44:47
And what he's really
admiring to see
00:44:49
is how they've used
such a horrific incident
00:44:53
to actually do some good.
00:44:55
So I think that's
testament to the family
00:44:58
that they're able
to take what's happened
00:45:01
and actually not just
think about themselves
00:45:03
but think about other people.
00:45:05
And we should really
admire them for that.
00:45:10
NARRATOR: In recognition
of her campaign, in 2025,
00:45:14
Pooja was presented with
an OBE by King Charles.
00:45:18
It's one of the UK's
highest honors.
00:45:24
POOJA KANDA: I didn't
expect nothing.
00:45:26
I did not expect
from anyone anything.
00:45:29
I did not know I was
doing anything for anyone.
00:45:32
All I just knew it was wrong.
00:45:34
And I went straight
up to Ronan's picture,
00:45:40
that photo with the smile,
picked it up, and I kissed him.
00:45:48
And I gave the OBE to him.
00:45:52
That is for him.
00:45:55
He's got his mother's
name, but it's all for him.
00:46:01
Everything is for him.
00:46:07
[THEME MUSIC]
00:46:30
[AUDIO LOGO]
