Gurpreet Singh murder trial: Brother of first wife denies involvement in death

Bikramjit Singh also denied sending a letter to the defendant’s children at their Wolverhampton school telling them not to trust their “evil step-mum”, claiming she had been having an affair with their father for several years while he was still married to their mother.

The allegations were made at the trial of businessman Gurpreet Singh, who is charged with murdering his second wife Sarbjit Kaur at the family home in Rookery Lane, Penn, in February last year.

She was found strangled in her sewing workshop. Singh, aged 43, is also accused of soliciting the murder of his first wife Amandeep Kaur, the mother of his two children, who died during a family holiday in India in 2013. He denies both charges.

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Amandeep’s brother Bikramjit Singh told a jury he was “shattered” by news of the death of his sister. who had been “absolutely healthy” before she left for India to visit the defendant’s family

In the weeks that followed he and his wife helped Singh with the children and the domestic chores at Rookery Lane, doing their laundry, ironing, and cleaning the house.

Then after five months Bikramjit said he received a call from Gurpreet Singh telling him he was getting married again, He told the jury: “I was shocked, lost for words. Why so suddenly when the family was still in deep shock over [the death of] my sister.”

Singh failed to answer Bikramjit’s calls after that and told the children not to speak to their uncle or his wife, he told Birmingham Crown Court.

A month after Sarbjit Kaur’s murder Bikramjit was contacted by Jagger Uppal, who claimed his brother Heera had been approached by the defendant to kill Amandeep Kaur for payment.

He met with Heera Uppal who told him the claim was true and that the police had brought him to Wolverhampton from India to give a statement, he told the jury.

In cross examination by Mr Orlando Pownall, QC, the witness denied that he was jealous that Sarbjit Kaur was fulfilling the role that his sister once had.

He also denied sending a letter to the children’s school which stated: “Don’t trust your evil step-mum”, claiming she had been having an affair with their father for many years whilst their mother was still alive.

The letter went on: “Everybody knows the dirty truth”, adding that this was why the children had been banned from talking to their “real family and friends”.

It also included the claim that Sarbjit Kaur was having an affair with a man named in the letter behind their father’s back.

Bikramjit Singh said he had “heard the gossip” but had not written it the letter which he described as "absolutely disgusting" and "really cheap".

Mr Pownall said: “You thought Sarbjit Kaur was in some way involved in the death of your sister, didn’t you?”

Bikramjit Singh denied the allegation and said that instead,he and his family were pleased that she was making the children happy.

Asked by Mr Pownall directly: “Were you involved in the death of Sarbjit Kaur?”, Mr Singh replied: “No, I can’t even think about doing what you just said.”

The trial continues.