Dad Who Gambled Drug Lord’s Money Died in Acid Attack, Ex-Wife Faces Trial

• Jury hears Danny Cahalane died weeks after a brutal acid attack.
• Prosecutors say “Frost” Ryan Kennedy ordered it from Dubai.
• Ex-wife Paris Wilson among 10 defendants charged in plot.

A father of two who gambled money he owed to a British drug kingpin was murdered in an acid attack, a jury in Winchester Crown Court, England, heard Thursday.

Danny Cahalane, 38, was doused with sulfuric acid by two men who broke into his home in the early hours of the morning of February 21, 2025. He died ten weeks later after succumbing to horrific injuries, but not before he could tell police he owed money to an underworld figure known as “Frost.”

Prosecutors said that “Frost” is crime boss Ryan Kennedy who is thought to be in Dubai and not currently on trial, according to court documents.

Cahalane’s ex-wife, Paris Wilson, 35, is among ten people, seven men and three women, accused of helping to plot his murder. Wilson is also the mother of one of his children.

The defendants have been charged with offenses including murder, conspiracy to murder, and participation in an organized crime group.

‘Middle Management’

Before his death, Cahalane told investigators he had been “sort of middle management in [Kennedy’s] drugs supply chain,” according to prosecutors. But he owed Kennedy around £120K (US$164K) after he gambled away some of the profits he made from dealing.

He also claimed he was stiffed by someone lower in the chain who fled abroad with money that should have been passed on to Kennedy.

“’Danny said he tried to organize some sort of repayment plan, but it just didn’t work,” Martin added. “Instead, he did a great deal of stalling and lying.”

Death Threats

The court heard that in the lead up to the attack, Kennedy sent numerous threats to Cahalane via text message.

“Your [sic] gonna die… U just need to die… You done me £80K… they coming up now,” Kennedy wrote, according to court documents.

On January 19, 2025, a group of men turned up on Cahalane’s doorstep and attempted to force their way in, a tactic designed to intimidate him, according to Martin.

The prosecution contends that the accused were acting on Kennedy’s orders and the intent was to murder.

The trial continues.