Indian man sentenced to life in UK for killing ex-partner in anger
London: A 23-year-old Indian-origin man who stopped a police officer in the street and made comments implicating himself in an attack on his estranged partner has been sentenced to life imprisonment for her brutal murder by a UK court.
Jigukumar Sorthi was sentenced to serve a minimum of 28 years behind bars before being considered for parole after he was found guilty of the murder of 21-year-old Bhavini Pravin, who was found stabbed at her home in the city of Leicester in March.
"This was a horrific, brutal and merciless killing. You took the life of a beautiful, talented young woman, just 21 years of age, Justice Timothy Spencer told Sorthi at the sentencing hearing at Leicester Crown Court on Wednesday.
During a murder trial earlier this month, the jury heard how he had felt jilted by Pravin after she broke off plans for their wedding ceremony.
At around 12.30 pm on March 2, Sorthi went to her home and once inside they talked for a few minutes before Sorthi stabbed her multiple times and left the property.
Leicestershire Police and East Midlands Ambulance Service personnel were called to the address where the victim was pronounced dead.
Less than two hours after the incident, Sorthi approached an officer outside Spinney Hill Police Station in Leicester and made admissions implicating himself in the stabbing of Pravin.
A post-mortem examination was carried out and concluded Pravin died as a result of multiple stab wounds.
Bhavini was a young woman who had the rest of her life to look forward to. She was a gentle caring soul and came from a close and very private family. It is fair to say she was the apple of her parents' eyes, said Detective Inspector Kenny Henry, the senior investigating officer from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit Major Crime team.
Losing Bhavini so early in life and in such tragic circumstances continues to take its toll on her parents and brothers their lives have been changed forever. To have lost their beloved daughter to someone who they trusted to take care of her is something they will never recover from, he said, adding that the sentence would hopefully be of some comfort to her family.
Being present during the trial was understandably difficult for the family and I must commend their bravery, courage and dignity throughout. Nothing will bring Bhavini back but I can only hope that today's outcome will, in due course, be of some comfort knowing that the man who ended their daughter's life has been brought to justice, he added.
According to local Leicester Mercury' reports, Sorthi had a civil ceremony with Pravin in India in 2017 and followed her to England on a spousal visa in August 2018.
However, the couple lived at separate addresses and the match did not seem to work out. Pravin was to marry Sorthi in a religious Hindu wedding ceremony, but her family called it off a day before the murder.
Bhavini Pravin's life was cut short in a brutal, callous attack in her own home. The defendant took a knife to her house and yet tried to claim he was not in control of his actions, said Lucie Boulter from the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS).
We prepared compelling evidence that showed the court that this was clearly planned and premeditated, she said. When he gave himself up to the police, Sorthi alleged that Pravin had ruined his life.
His lawyer told the court that his client had struggled to cope with life in the UK during the court proceedings which were translated into Gujarati for his benefit.
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Killing of Khamenei cynical violation of human morality, international law: Putin
Moscow (PTI): The killing of Iran's Supreme Leader Ayatollah Ali Khamenei was a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law, Russian President Vladimir Putin declared in his message to his Tehranian counterpart, the Kremlin said Sunday.
Khamenei was killed in an airstrike in Tehran on Saturday during a joint Israel-US attack on Iran.
“Please accept my deepest condolences in connection with the assassination of the Supreme Leader of the Islamic Republic of Iran, Seyyed Ali Khamenei, and members of his family, committed in a cynical violation of all norms of human morality and international law,” Putin said in his condolence message.
Putin's condolence message to Iranian President Masoud Pezeshkian was published on the Kremlin portal.
Earlier on Saturday, Russia condemned the US-Israeli joint strikes on Iran qualifying it as an “unprovoked” aggression against a sovereign state in violation of international law and called for immediate return to diplomacy.
The Russian Foreign Ministry also described the US and Israeli forces' strikes against the Iranian territory as “a pre-planned” act of aggression against an independent UN member state.
Putin also conducted an emergency meeting of the National Security Council online on Saturday to discuss the emerging situation following the US-Israeli strikes and Iran’s retaliation.
Meanwhile, according to reports more than 2,00,000 Russians are stuck in the region due to closure of their airspaces by Iran and Gulf countries.
The situation in the Middle East and the airport closures have affected not only organised tourists from Russia registered with tour operators, but also those travelling on business trips and independently, state-run TASS news agency reported.
“Approximately 2,00,000 people are unable to leave the UAE or return from vacations in the Maldives and other countries,” Alexey Volkov, president of the National Union of Hospitality Industry, told TASS.
UAE and its airports have become a main hub of access to Russia since the Ukraine conflict and closure of EU air space for civilian air traffic under sanction on Moscow.
“The situation remains complex and unpredictable: drone and missile strikes have hit key tourist locations in the UAE, including its most famous hotels.
“And then there are those who aren't counted as tourists at all, but are travelling around the world for business—the Middle East, for example, is currently a major business hub, home to a significant amount of Russian capital, investment, and business,” Volkov said.
