The trial of Kelvin Asante, accused of the murder of Plymouth father-of-two Danny Cahalane, resumed at Winchester Crown Court as jurors were shown a series of threatening messages allegedly sent in relation to a substantial drugs debt.
Prosecution sets out alleged gang links and threats
Prosecutor Joanna Martin KC told jurors that Asante, 23, of Eresby Place, London, was acting under the direction of a man identified in court as Ryan Kennedy, who used the nickname "Frost". The court was shown mobile phone material said to demonstrate contact between Asante and other men tied to earlier hearings at the same court.
The jury heard that Mr Cahalane, described in the opening as a convicted drug dealer, was attacked at his Lipson Road home in the early hours of Friday 21 February 2025 by two men. One of those men, Israel Augustus, has already been convicted of murder at a previous trial. It is alleged that Asante carried out the attack by throwing highly corrosive sulphuric acid at Mr Cahalane from two separate containers.
| Date | Event |
|---|---|
| 19 Jan 2025 | Attempted kidnapping from The Quay, Oreston |
| 21 Feb 2025 | Acid attack at Lipson Road, Plymouth |
| 3 May 2025 | Mr Cahalane dies in Bristol hospital, ten weeks after attack |
Threats and messages shown to jury
The prosecution says that following the attempted kidnap in January — which took place close to Mr Cahalane’s former wife's home — Asante received messages from the man called Frost, including threats to set fire to properties associated with Mr Cahalane and to the home of his ill mother in London. The court heard that Frost allegedly reinforced the threats by forwarding a video showing a front door.
"close call?"
Ms Martin KC told jurors that the messages became increasingly angry and that material recovered from mobile phones included details such as Asante's home postcode sent to another man, apparently to arrange transport to Plymouth.
- Charge: Asante is accused of murder and faces an alternative charge of manslaughter.
- Defence: He denies all charges.
- Previous convictions: One co-defendant, Israel Augustus, has been convicted of murder earlier in proceedings at Winchester Crown Court.
The case continues as the jury examines the extent of communications between those accused and the alleged chain of command within the drug network described by the prosecution. The outcome will hinge on how the court interprets phone data, witness accounts and the sequence of incidents leading from the January attempted kidnapping to the fatal injuries suffered by Mr Cahalane.
Further hearings are expected as the trial progresses at Winchester Crown Court.
