Schoolboy executed with Sword in case of Mistaken Identity

A tragic case of mistaken identity saw a schoolboy executed outside his home.

As 16-year-old Ronan Kanda walked home, he was unaware that a sword-wielding thug was sprinting behind him.

Ronan let out a scream as the sword was plunged 20cm deep into his body.

The killer then drove the weapon 17cm a second time.

When they realised they attacked the wrong boy, the killers fled the scene, leaving the schoolboy to die.

A murder trial heard how Ronan had visited a friend’s house to buy a PlayStation controller for £5.

His father recalled offering Ronan a life but the schoolboy decided to walk.

On his way back to his Wolverhampton home, Ronan listened to music in his headphones.

He was just yards from his home when his killer attacked him from behind. Ronan screamed out in distress.

Ronan collapsed in the street while his killers fled.

He could not be saved and died at the scene on the evening of June 29, 2022.

Two 17-year-old boys were convicted of murder. They now face life in prison when they are sentenced on July 13, 2023.

Two men also stood trial alongside the boys.

Josiah Francis, aged 21, and Joseph Whittaker, aged 18, both of Birmingham, were acquitted of all charges.

Both youths tried to plead their innocence, each telling jurors that Ronan was never the intended victim. Instead, they told how they had wanted to “scare” a boy who owed one of them money.

The killer claimed it was an “accident” and he “felt terrible” as soon as he discovered the mistake he had made. He insisted that he only wanted to “poke around”.

It was not until the second of two stab wounds had been inflicted that he noticed the blade had made contact and that Ronan had been wounded.

The other youth claimed he was “sad and angry” after discovering Ronan was stabbed by mistake.

He told how he lent cash to a boy so he could buy a Fiesta and wanted to “scare” him into handing back the money. But denied he was “in it together” with his accomplice.

The boy who delivered the blows collected a Ninja sword set and a large machete from a post office on the day of Ronan’s death after buying it online.

He admitted that he ordered “lethal weapons” with a false ID to sell them on as a way to “make money”.

But he denied having a “fascination with knives”.

The two youths plotted to confront the boy who owed the cash before travelling in a red Vauxhall Corsa to the scene of the crime.

It was driven by Mr Francis, while Mr Whittaker was a front-seat passenger. Both men vehemently denied any wrongdoing.

Just before 8:30 pm, the Corsa entered Mount Road and the two boys rushed from the vehicle, fatally stabbing Ronan moments later.