Alleged stabbing victim helped to reunite his parents, jury told
Schoolboy murder victim Ronan Kanda helped to reunite his parents after they divorced, a jury has heard.
The 16-year-old was walking home in Mount Road in Lanesfield, Wolverhampton on the evening of June 29 last year when he was stabbed to death in a case of mistaken identity.
At Wolverhampton Crown Court on Thursday prosecution barrister Mr David Mason KC read aloud the statement of father Chanda Kanda who described his son as a "beautiful boy". He stated how his wife Puja and daughter Nikita were left "devastated" by what happened.
Mr Chanda stated that he and his wife had split up in 2012, but reconciled in 2021 and the family were looking forward to going on holiday together when Ronan died.
"Ronan has been instrumental in getting me and Puja back together again," he stated.
"Ronan's death has left a hole in my life. I feel like I've lost my best friend. I really miss him. Ronan was a beautiful boy. I'm struggling to understand why my boy was stabbed twice in the street in broad daylight.
"I blame myself for not taking him to his friend's house."
"I would describe Ronan as a lovely boy. He had a bubbly personality. He was the soul of our family. Ronan also liked playing pranks and making us all laugh. He enjoyed watching Netflix and using Play Station and going to the gym.
"He was a big Liverpool fan and I took him and Nikita to Anfield on a number of occasions," he stated.
Mr Chanda described how he discovered something was wrong when his wife, who was out, phoned home to ask why police were in the street, so he went outside to look.
"I could see police were cordoning off the street at the junction with Pugh Road. I could see that the ambulance was also there. I saw my neighbour Glen and he said someone had been stabbed. I must have rung Ronan's phone about 12 times.
"I told Puja to leave her class and to pick up Ronan from his friend's house. I spoke to the police and said I was concerned because my son should have come back and he hadn't."
He stated that he showed a police officer a picture of Ronan.
"A paramedic also approached and said the person they were treating looked like Ronan. I was confused because if the inflicting information. I became upset and Glen comforted me," he added.
The jury has previously heard that Ronan was oblivious to the presence of two of the alleged attackers who approached him from behind before he was stabbed twice with a sword by a 17-year-old, resulting in a fatal wound to the heart.
Two youths, from Walsall aged 16 and 17, Josiah Francis, 21, of Westcote Avenue, Northfield; and Joseph Whittaker, 18, of Raven Hays Road, Rubery, both in Birmingham, deny murder. Francis and Whittaker, who were allegedly in a car at the scene, also deny possessing swords.
The trial continues.
