Mum of murdered schoolboy calls for Post Office to be closed after staff handed over deadly ‘zombie sword’ to killer

The “zombie” sword a schoolboy used to murder a classmate was handed to him by Post Office workers, who reportedly failed to check his ID, despite it being sent as an ‘age verified’ item. Prabjeet Veadhesa was able to collect the deadly parcel after counter staff apparently deemed the 16-year-old was over 25 ‘simply by looking at him’.

Along with accomplice Sukhman Shergill, the teen used the weapon to murder Ronan Kanda, 16, in Wolverhampton after mistaking him for another teenager they were in dispute with. During the trial, it emerged that Veadhesa – who had dealt the fatal blows – bought 26 knives and swords in the previous six months.

He’d used his mother’s ID to buy the weapons and told the court he’d sold them on to fellow youths to “make money”. After Veadhesa and Shergill were handed life sentences earlier this month, Ronan’s devastated mum called for the Post Office in Walsall to be closed after they “handed my son’s killer the murder weapon,” the Mirror reports.

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His mum, Pooja, said: “He was a teenage boy, not an adult. How can kids be buying these weapons so easily? I want that Post Office to be shut down.”

Veadhesa ordered the sword online from a site called DNA Leisure, run by Adam Eliaz, who appeared in the 2010 BBC Junior Apprentice show and was praised by Lord Sugar for his “enthusiasm”. Mr Eliaz, 30, said his firm paid for a Royal Mail Age Verification delivery, adding: “We comply with expert legal advice regarding our methods of sale.

“We perform age checks before orders are shipped and require the same at the point of delivery by our courier. If age verification is not performed at the time of delivery that is outside of our control.”

Royal Mail said the Post Office in question did follow the ‘Challenge 25’ process but “must have incorrectly assessed the person”. A spokesperson said: “This is an horrific tragedy. The recipient requested to collect from their local Post Office. For age-verified products, the Post Office is required to ‘Challenge 25’ and if the person looks under 25, check photo ID before the parcel is handed over.

“It appears on this occasion the local Post Office did follow the ‘Challenge 25’ process but must have incorrectly assessed the person collecting the parcel looked over 25. We are following up with the Post Office to investigate.”

The Post Office said its branch in Walsall “was operated by a former retail partner” at the time of Ronan’s death and an internal review involving the new retail operator was taking place. Veadhesa, now 17, was caught on CCTV as he left the Post Office with the package. Just a few hours later, he sneaked up on “bubbly” and unsuspecting Ronan and stabbed him in a horrifying broad daylight attack, just yards from his home.

Wolverhampton Crown Court was told Veadhesa and Shergill, also now 17, had mistaken the aspiring lawyer for someone else. As they were both handed life sentences, Veadhesa, of Cairn Drive, Bentley, Walsall, must serve a minimum of 18 years while Shergill, of Bewley Road, Willenhall, was told to serve a minimum term of 16 years.

While DNA Leisure has defended its right to sell zombie knives and swords, Pooja, 46, said: “They sold the sword to my son’s killer and have taken no responsibility. They are part of this and have done wrong.” A statement from the firm said: “We understand people are calling for larger knives and swords to be banned. We feel it’s important to point out the purpose of these types of knives are essentially the same as paintings.

“For many people they’re collectable, it’s a hobby that tens of thousands of people do safely and legally. It’s already illegal to take most knives outside your home so further banning these types will have no discernible effect.

“We always say, it’s not a knife which makes a person a criminal – it’s a criminal that turns a knife into a weapon. In this instance, we fulfilled our obligations to check and perform due diligence. Sadly, we are not able to prevent someone stealing an identity document from their parents.”