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Asian Voice - Saturday 15th May 2010
Pregnant woman was murdered, suicide note ruled fake A pregnant woman who was found dead with a rope around her neck after apparently killing herself had been murdered, a coroner ruled last week. The Birmingham coroner, Aidan Cotter, said Kuldeep Kaur Sidhu had been strangled, but an attempt had been made to make it look like she had taken her own life. Recording a verdict of unlawful killing after a three-day inquest, Cotter expressed confidence that the 25-year-old's killer or killers would be caught. The inquest heard that Sidhu's body and a note were found after a fire at her marital home in the Quinton area of the city in May 2008. She was the early stages of pregnancy and had been married for six months at the time of her death. A fake suicide note, believed to be written by her killer or killers, was found near her body and
accused her husband of having an affair according to reports. Birmingham Coroner’s Court heard that her husband’s Sikh family was unhappy about their marriage six months earlier because Mrs Sidhu was from a lower caste. But husband Baljinder Sidhu denied any affair and insisted they were a happy couple who were trying for a baby. The handwritten note found beside her charred body claimed Mrs Sidhu faced "living hell" because of her husband's alleged infidelity. "I can’t take it anymore. I am having this letter written for my mum and dad. My friend is writing it for me," the note read. The writer has not been traced but experts rule out Mrs Sidhu or her husband. Mrs Sidhu was strangled before being hung from a rope attached to a stair railing near the
entrance to her house, the court heard. A fire was then started inside. Mr Sidhu was arrested over the murder in October 2008 and his mother was arrested on suspicion of threats to kill in November 2007. Both were released without charge. A pathologist told the court that although Sidhu had been found with a rope around her neck, there were no discernible ligature marks. The coroner said: "In my view, the evidence shows clearly this was not murder by a stranger. An attempt was made to destroy the evidence by burning her body to make it look as if Kuldeep had taken her own life by hanging. She had not." He added: "I am confident that with the evidence that has been obtained and secured, that sooner or later the murder will be solved."
Acid attacker jailed for 30 years
House where Kuldeep was found by firefighters Victim: Kuldeep Kaur Sidhu
Speaking after the inquest, the police said the investigation remained open and officers were still seeking information about the murder. Detective Sergeant Andrew Houston, of West Midlands police, said: "There has been a wideranging, painstaking inquiry into the death of Kuldeep Sidhu. It is clear from our investigation and from the comments made during the course of this inquest by Mr Cotter that
Fake suicide note found next to Kuldeep’s body
the answer to whoever has committed this murder lies closely around the scene and around those known to Kuldeep. Mr Cotter emphasised this was not, in his opinion, murder by a stranger and we believe the evidence points strongly to emphasise this fact."
Houston appealed for witnesses who were in Quinton or the wider Birmingham area on 13 and 14 May 2008. "In particular we would like to hear from persons who could help us piece together the last movements of Kuldeep," he said.
Auction 27th May 2010
Mohammed Vakas jailed for acid attack that left Akram severely disfigured
An acid attacker who left a 25-year-old man severely disfigured in a horrific plot to avenge his family's "dishonour" has been jailed for 30 years. Mohammed Vakas was found guilty by an Old Bailey jury of plotting to murder Awais Akram. The victim was targeted because of his intimate relationship with Sadia Khatoon, 24, a married businesswoman he had met on Facebook, the court heard. When her husband, Shakeel Abassi, and Vakas, her brother, found out about it, they got her to lure Mr Akram out of his flat to the scene of the attack. There the victim was beaten and stabbed before Vakas poured concentrated sulphuric acid over his head, leaving him with 47% burns and fighting for his life. Vakas, 26, of Walthamstow, was found
An artist's impression of Awais Akram (centre) at the Old Bailey where he was giving evidence of the acid attack which left him badly disfigured
guilty of conspiring with Khatoon and her husband to murder Mr Akram. Fellow attackers Mohammed Adeel, 20, also of Walthamstow, and a 17-year-old youth, who can now be named as Fabion Kuci, of Harlesden, north-west London, were convicted of conspiracy to cause grievous bodily harm. Adeel was jailed for 14 years and the youth was locked up for eight years. Mr Akram, who survived the attack but continues to undergo treatment for his injuries, has
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described how he was in so much pain at the time that he wanted to die. Judge Brian Barker, the Common Serjeant of London, said: "The facts of this case are horrifying. This was a remorseless and a heartless plan. It was to punish and kill Mr Akram in the most cruel and sadistic way. The reason can be deduced as being an unacceptable relationship with Sadia Khatoon and Awais Akram. This was deemed to bring dishonour to her husband and to both families."
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