A jury at Winchester Crown Court has been shown a deeply distressing video recording of an acid attack victim giving a statement from his hospital bed, just weeks before he succumbed to his injuries. The footage forms a central part of the ongoing trial of ten individuals connected to the death of Danny Cahalane.
A Harrowing Testimony from the Hospital
The court heard how Danny Cahalane, aged 38, was attacked at his home in the early hours of February 21, 2025, sustaining severe chemical burns from what is alleged to be corrosive sulphuric acid. He later died at a Bristol hospital on May 3, 2025. The video statement, recorded on February 25 while Mr Cahalane was in the Intensive Care Unit, was played for the jury.
Painful Details Emerge in Court
Detective Sergeant Sutcliffe explained to the court that police attended the hospital at Mr Cahalane's request. He was on strong painkillers, including ketamine, due to the severity of his injuries. The recording required frequent pauses as medical staff attended to him. His mother, Vivien, and stepfather, Tony Bleech, were present at the hospital during this time.
In the video, Mr Cahalane described being woken by an attack from two men. He recounted a struggle where he was hit or stabbed with a screwdriver, and his attempts to fight back and shout to scare the assailants away. He recalled one man shouting "where's the peas" – understood to mean "where's the money" – to which he replied there was none.
Background of Debt and Alleged Set-Up
The jury had previously been told that Mr Cahalane was a drug dealer in Plymouth who owed a substantial sum, suggested to be around £120,000, to another dealer higher up the chain. This individual was named in court as Ryan Kennedy, also known as "Frost", who is understood to be currently in Dubai.
Mr Cahalane told police he had gambled with profits, including money intended for Frost, and did not have enough to repay the debt. He also stated in his video testimony that he believed his ex-partner, Paris Wilson, had "set me up", alleging she knew he would be home on the night of the attack. The pair had split up the previous Christmas.
The Final Moments of the Attack
Mr Cahalane described chasing the men out of the back door of his property and locking it. Unsure if he had already been hit with acid at that point, he tried to exit via the front door but found it double-locked and slipped. He then heard glass breaking and one man racing back in before throwing acid over him.
He remembered "screaming" at his front door, with three men coming to his aid, and him "screaming 'call the police'", adding "I knew it was acid."
The Defendants and Charges
The ten people on trial are:
- Paris Wilson, 35, of The Quay, Plymouth
- Jude Hill, 43, of Wantage Gardens, Plymouth
- Abdulrasheed Adedoja, 23, of Neasden, London
- Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 23, of Islington, London
- Israel Augustus, 26, of Tottenham, London
- Isanah Sungum, 22, of Edmonton, London
- Brian Kalemba, 23, of Barking, London
- Jean Mukuna, 23, of Camden, London
- Arrone Mukuna, 25, of Camden, London
Seven of the defendants face charges of murder and an alternative charge of manslaughter. Five of them – Adedoja, Bakas-Sithole, Wilson, Jean Mukuna, and Arrone Mukuna – are additionally charged with the attempted kidnapping and attempted grievous bodily harm of Mr Cahalane on January 19, 2025, at The Quay in Oreston, Plymouth. All ten defendants deny the charges.
A Tragic Family Outcome
In a further tragic twist, the court heard that Mr Cahalane's mother, Vivien, who had been diagnosed with stage 4 pancreatic cancer, died the day after her son, on May 4, 2025.
The trial at Winchester Crown Court continues.
