A British court has sentenced an Indian-origin man to life imprisonment for brutally beating his girlfriend to death at their home in the East Midlands region of England.
Police described it as a case of domestic abuse and said it is important that any victims get the help they need to stop it before it is too late.
Raj Sidpara, 50, of Leicester, was convicted of the murder of Taranjit Riaz, also known as Taranjit Chagger, following a trial at Leicester Crown Court last week.
On Friday, Raj Sidpara was sentenced to life in prison with a minimum term of 21 years before he can be considered for parole, according to Leicestershire Police.
The couple had been in a relationship for about five months and by the time emergency services were called to her home in Tarbat Road on the afternoon of 6 May, Taranjit was dead.
Taranjit, 44, had extensive bruising to his face, as well as several broken ribs, when he was found unresponsive by emergency services, which were called by Sidpara.
In October, Sidpara pleaded guilty to a reduced charge of manslaughter for wounding his girlfriend but denied intending to kill her or cause her serious harm.
The court heard that his victim was left with “two large black eyes”, bleeding on the brain and 20 rib fractures, among other injuries. Judge William Harbage addressed the accused in court, saying, “You have consistently refused to explain what you did or why you did it.”
The BBC court report said, “It is clear that you attacked her in a cruel and merciless manner; you punched, kicked and repeatedly attacked her.”
The court heard that Sidpara had been diagnosed with alcohol dependence syndrome and had been convicted 24 times of 46 offences, including making threats to kill and harassing previous girlfriends and those associated with them.
Sidpara’s sentencing came as Leicestershire Police said it had joined organizations around the world to support “White Ribbon Day”, which focuses on targeted action around violence against women and girls.
Detective Inspector Emma Mattes, senior investigating officer, said: “Taranjit was killed by a man she was in a relationship with. Someone she should have supported and protected her with, not someone she should have feared. He will attack her brutally.”
“While the man responsible will now spend many years behind bars, Taranjit’s family has a lot of questions and wonders if they could have done more.
We know that domestic abuse is very complex. Often victims do not want to share information about what is happening behind closed doors with family and friends, let alone with the police, but it is vital that any victim gets the help they need, it is not too late Abuse can be stopped before it happens. ,” He said.
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