Furious voice notes exchanged between a personal trainer and an alleged Dubai-based drug lord, sent just hours before the fitness instructor was killed in a horrific acid attack, have been played to a shocked courtroom at Winchester Crown Court. The recordings reveal a desperate and increasingly heated confrontation over a substantial drug debt that prosecutors allege led directly to the murder.
The Debt and the Threats
Danny Cahalane, a 38-year-old personal trainer from Plymouth, Devon, was £120,000 in debt to alleged criminal kingpin Ryan Kennedy, known in underworld circles as 'Frost', at the time of his death. Kennedy, who is believed to be residing in Dubai and is not on trial, is alleged by the prosecution to have ordered a hit on Cahalane, who was himself allegedly involved in drug dealing. The attack involved the victim being doused in acid at his home in Plymouth last year. He succumbed to his catastrophic injuries in hospital ten days later.
A Trial of Ten Defendants
The trial of ten individuals—seven men from London and three women from Plymouth—in connection with Mr Cahalane's murder continued this week. The court was presented with a series of increasingly angry and threatening messages and phone calls between the victim and Kennedy, painting a picture of the final, frantic hours before the attack.
Shortly after midnight on January 30, 2025, Ryan Kennedy messaged Danny Cahalane a series of threats written in aggressive, all-capital letters. "I swear to God if you ain't on [the] way 11am, you think I'm waiting forever, on my mum's life they coming early, think I'm listening to your bulls***?" Kennedy wrote. He repeated a previous threat to set fire to the homes of Mr Cahalane's mother and ex-wife.
By around 6am that same day, Kennedy sent another ominous message: "If you ain't left by 11 they [will be] on [the] way."
The Victim's Desperate Response
In response, Danny Cahalane unleashed a torrent of furious WhatsApp voice notes, played to the jury, in which he confronted the alleged drug lord. He told Kennedy he knew "full well" he was not going to meet the people Kennedy wanted him to, and expressed outrage at the threats against his family.
"You're trying to get people to terrorise my f***ing kid's house, after I facetimed you with the money at the train station," Cahalane said, his voice charged with emotion. "I had the money on me. My brethren, my best brethren's got the money in his f***ing yard [house]. I'm waiting on him to come out and you're talking about sending me up to do something to my kid's house. You think I'm a f***ing d***head bruv?"
Cahalane acknowledged the debt, stating, "I owe you P's [money] bruv and I'm humble about that. I'm trying to give you your money and you're trying to threaten my f***ing kid's house?" He insisted he had £19,000 available, swearing on his "dying mum's life," and pleaded, "Don't try and f***ing bully me [saying], 'Ah they're coming, they're coming, they're gonna do this, they're gonna burn down your kid's house and all that'. Don't take me for a f***ing d***head bro, seriously like, please. I'm paying you your bread."
Escalation to 'War'
Kennedy's reply was blunt: "Who the f*** is bullying you. Taking me for a f***ing c***. You owe £88k." The exchange escalated rapidly. In a final, high-pitched and fast-paced voice note, Cahalane challenged Kennedy's questions about where the money was being held, defending the trustworthiness of his childhood friend.
"About threatening my f***ing kid's house on money that I've got for you? Are you mad?" Cahalane demanded. "You think I'm a f***ing d***head bro? Do you think I'm gonna sit down and take that lying down, you're gonna talk about burning out my kid's house. Are you f***ing mad? You're terrorising me, bruv, you're trying to f***ing bully me. Yeah, you're owed money, bruv, I'm trying to pay you. You're threatening my kid's yard. Are you f***ing mad bruv?"
The message ended abruptly. Minutes later, Kennedy replied with a chilling ultimatum: "Alright, cool, let's go to war. F*** off. Keep the money, you f***ing idiot." The last communication between the two, on January 31, saw Kennedy tell Cahalane, "You just talk s***. It is what it is. We'll catch up very soon. You done for £120k."
Allegations of a Plot Involving the Ex-Wife
The court has previously heard that Cahalane's ex-wife, Paris Wilson, 35, a probation worker, allegedly helped plot his murder following the "acrimonious" breakdown of their marriage. It is claimed she "fed information" about Mr Cahalane's whereabouts to Ryan Kennedy. Prosecutors allege Kennedy, operating from Dubai, orchestrated the acid attack to show Cahalane "who was boss."
The jury was told Wilson agreed to assist Kennedy in exchange for "a couple of grand" and because she believed her ex-husband "deserved" to be hurt. Prosecutor Joanna Martin KC stated Wilson set up her ex-husband "on the understanding Kennedy would make her wealthy." It is further alleged that Wilson lured Cahalane to her home a month before the fatal attack, where three men attempted to abduct him.
Wilson faces charges of murder, manslaughter, participating in the criminal activities of an organised crime group, attempted kidnap, and attempted grievous bodily harm with intent. She is on trial alongside five men—Abdulrasheed Adedoja, 23, Ramarnee Bakas-Sithole, 23, Israel Augustus, 26, Isanah Sungum, 22, and Brian Kalemba, 23—and one woman, Jude Hill, 43, all of whom have pleaded not guilty to murder.
The trial at Winchester Crown Court continues.
