Ronan Kanda’s Murderers to be Re-sentenced

Pradjeet Veadhasa and Sukhman Shergill, the two teenagers who murdered Ronan Kanda, are to be re-sentenced.

The 17-year-old boys stabbed schoolboy Ronan with a sword after he visited a friend’s house to buy a PlayStation controller on June 29, 2022.

It was a called a case of mistaken identity as Veadhasa was owed money by Ronan’s friend and intended to confront him.

They saw Ronan leave the house where their intended victim lived and believed he was the boy they were after.

After realising it was the wrong person, the pair fled, dumping their weapons and clothes.

The pair were sentenced to life in prison for murder, with Veadhasa to serve a minimum of 18 years and Shergill to serve a minimum of 16 years.

Both were also sentenced to eight months for possession of a bladed article, to run concurrently.

A petition was later issued, calling for change at Guru Nanak Gurdwara Willenhall after committee members allegedly wrote a letter, stating that Shergill was an “asset” to the community.

Due to this alleged letter, he was given a year less in his prison term.

Ronan’s mother Pooja Kanda believed the sentences were lenient, saying:

“Our police family liaison officer told us they will be in court concerning their sentences.

“We always thought they were given lenient sentences as it was premeditated murder, which should have a minimum term of 20 years.”

When sentencing Veadhasa and Shergill, Mr Justice Choudhury said their age and previous good character was a mitigating factor.

However, he told Veadhasa had an unhealthy fascination with knives and swords.

Pooja continued: “I am hoping the judge will resentence them both, giving them longer in jail.

“They were old enough to go out with knives and swords and kill my son so they should be old enough to serve the full term for murder.

“The minimum should have been 20 years.”

Pooja and her daughter Nikita attended almost every day of the trial at Wolverhampton Crown Court.

She added: “We wanted to know why Ronan was murdered, how it happened, a lot of what we found out was upsetting.

“For instance how the school and other institutes vouched for these killers of being good character.”

“They are not good character if they are murderers.”

The petition has now issued an update, stating that Veadhasa and Shergill will appear in court on August 7, 2023, for possible re-sentencing.

This is due to an error in the application of the sentencing laws as well as numerous public complaints about the lack of fairness in the justice applied.

It is possible that both sentences will be re-evaluated more accurately and extended.