A Nigerian national was sentenced to life in prison Tuesday for the murder of a 56-year-old woman he attacked on a Leicester street after crashing his car while high on cannabis, British authorities said.

Chukwuemeka Ahanonu, 24, was found guilty by a jury at Leicester Crown Court on Monday and sentenced the following day. The victim, Nila Patel, died on June 26, 2025, two days after Ahanonu attacked her on Infirmary Road. She had just stepped off a bus and was walking home.

Dangerous driving preceded the killing

Leicestershire Police said Ahanonu had been driving recklessly through the city center before the attack, swerving across lanes, running red lights and steering toward pedestrians. He eventually crashed his vehicle, fled the scene and set upon Patel without provocation.

Medical staff from the nearby Leicester Royal Infirmary rushed to assist and treated Patel for severe injuries that included a fractured skull and brain trauma. Security personnel from the hospital restrained Ahanonu until police arrived.

When officers searched his car, they found dealer bags of cannabis valued at over 3,000 pounds and three iPhones. At the time of his arrest, Ahanonu had been smoking cannabis.

He died in hospital two days after the attack. Ahanonu was re-arrested on suspicion of murder on June 26, 2025.

Guilty pleas on separate charges

Before the murder verdict, Ahanonu had already pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, possession of cannabis with intent to supply and assaulting an emergency worker. That last charge stemmed from an incident in which he bit a female police officer during his arrest.

Detective Inspector Emma Matts, the senior investigating officer on the case, called the attack horrific, violent and random.

“Ahanonu was unknown to the victim. She was simply walking home when she was subjected to this brutal assault,” Matts said. She described CCTV footage of his driving before the crash as frightening and disturbing, and praised members of the public who stepped in to restrain him and help Patel.

Ireland-based Nigerians also sentenced

In a separate case with links to the Nigerian diaspora, two Ireland-based men were sentenced to a combined 16 years in prison this week following a transnational money laundering investigation.

Francis Ogbuefi, 42, received a nine-year sentence, while Steven Silvester, 32, was handed seven and a half years. Ireland’s Garda National Economic Crime Bureau led the investigation into the pair, who were prosecuted following their involvement in a global laundering scheme.

Authorities in both the United Kingdom and Ireland say the cases reflect mounting concerns about cross-border financial crimes and violent offenses linked to some foreign nationals operating in Europe.