Ex-Wife's Chilling Acid Threat Text Revealed in Court Before Brutal Murder
A jury at Winchester Crown Court has heard harrowing details of how a woman threatened her ex-husband with an acid attack just days before he was brutally assaulted with sulphuric acid in a plot allegedly orchestrated by a drugs kingpin.
Text Messages Foreshadowed Horrific Attack
The court heard that Paris Wilson, 34, sent a series of chilling text messages to her former husband Danny Cahalane in the days leading up to the fatal attack. In one particularly disturbing message, Wilson told Cahalane: "I hope you and your girlfriend both end up with acid in your face."
Prosecutors presented evidence showing this threat was sent mere days before two masked men forced their way into Cahalane's Plymouth home in the middle of the night and carried out the brutal assault.
Drug Debt and Organised Crime Connection
The court heard that Cahalane, a 38-year-old personal trainer who was also involved in drug dealing, owed approximately £120,000 to an alleged drugs kingpin known as Frost, whose real name is Ryan Kennedy and who is believed to be living in Dubai.
Prosecutor Joanna Martin KC told jurors that Frost was furious over Cahalane's repeated excuses for not repaying the substantial debt and was determined to "teach him a significant lesson for his lack of respect."
Six-Minute Attack While Daughter Was Present
In February 2025, two men forced their way into Cahalane's bedroom at his Plymouth home while his young daughter was also present in the house. During a terrifying six-and-a-half-minute attack, they doused him with sulphuric acid and stabbed him as he fought back.
Cahalane suffered catastrophic injuries and died in hospital ten weeks later, having given police a statement from his hospital bed describing how his attackers demanded to know where the money was while pouring acid over him.
Wilson's Alleged Role as Go-Between
The prosecution alleges that Wilson acted as Frost's "go-to contact in Plymouth" and helped track down her ex-husband so the drugs boss could recover his cash. Prosecutors claim this arrangement was made "on the understanding Frost would make her wealthy."
Martin told the court that Wilson set Cahalane up because she expected to be paid a few thousand pounds, and because she believed "Danny deserved to be hurt."
Previous Attempted Abduction and Hospital Statement
The court further heard that Wilson had allegedly lured Cahalane to her home the month before the attack, where three men tried to abduct him. During the actual acid attack, Cahalane told police from his hospital bed that the assailants were armed with knives and a screwdriver.
In a desperate struggle for survival, Cahalane claimed he struck one of the attackers with the screwdriver and tried to stab him before the pair fled through the back of the house and escaped in a stolen car parked nearby.
Multiple Defendants Deny Charges
Wilson denies charges of murder, manslaughter, attempted kidnap, attempted grievous bodily harm, and participating in an organised crime gang between January and April 2025. Nine other defendants—seven men and two women—also deny a range of related charges.
The prosecution maintains that Wilson's acid threat text message demonstrates she knew exactly what was coming, with prosecutors stating she understood Frost would "handle" the situation. The trial continues at Winchester Crown Court.
