Alleged wife killer Gurpreet Singh takes to stand at murder trial
Gurpreet Singh has denied killing his wife at their home in Wolverhampton, telling his murder trial: “I loved her, she loved me, I would never, ever think of this.”
Gurpreet Singh is accused of killing seamstress Sarbjit Kaur at their detached Wolverhampton home in 2018 and of offering to pay a man £20,000 to murder a previous wife, who died in 2014.
The 43-year-old civil engineering company director has denied any wrongdoing.
Giving evidence for the first time in his trial on Friday, Singh told jurors he loved his spouse and would “never ever” think of killing her.
Doctor's note
The trial also heard how Sarbjit told a GP a month before her death that she was “depressed” because her husband did not want children with her.
A month before she died, Sarbjit went alone to her GP “tearful”, “depressed” and with thoughts of hanging herself, Birmingham Crown Court was told.
The GP’s note, summarised by Singh’s barrister Orlando Pownall QC, stated: “Depressed for six months, tearful, doesn’t want to go out, feels lonely.
“It stems from husband not wanting children with her."
On a second visit to the doctor shortly afterwards, Sarbjit told the GP she “wants her own children”.
“She does not know what would make her happy, thinks of harming herself, hanging herself, but would not do it,” the note continued.
“Assures me she has no plans – not actively suicidal.”
Singh said she never mentioned being depressed, adding she was sometimes “tired because of her business”.
When Mr Pownall asked if his wife ever told him she was “desperate” to have children, he replied: “No, she never talked about that.”
More from the trial:
Singh denies murdering Sarbjit with the help of an “unknown accomplice” and has rejected having any involvement in the death of his first wife, Amandeep Kaur.
Singh became upset when describing how, on a family trip to India in December 2014, Amandeep became ill and died.
Her death certificate concluded she died of a brain haemorrhage in Punjab, India, in 2014.
'Hitman'
It is alleged that in December 2013 Singh solicited the help of employee Heera Uppal to kill Amandeep because he wanted to marry someone else, but that the ‘hitman’ fled to India with a £2,000 advance payment without carrying out the deed.
Uppal was to pretend to be a postman and stab Amandeep in the neck when she answered the door. He was then to steal items and make it look like there had been a burglary.
Asked whether he had met Mr Uppal before, the defendant told Birmingham Crown Court: “Never ever in my life.”
Questioned about Amandeep’s health before her death the following year, Singh said she had suffered headaches and palpitations and had suffered some ill health said to be associated with the birth of their two children
Second wife Sarbjit Kaur, 38, was found strangled in her sewing room in their home in Rookery Lane, Penn, on February 16 last year.
The prosecution claims Singh, with the help of an accomplice, threw chilli powder in her face to incapacitate her before killing her.
It is also said that he roughed up the house to make it look like a burglary before calmly leaving for work.
Poison pen letter
After the funeral of his first wife, Singh returned home to Rookery Lane, in Wolverhampton.
He told the court that it was a few months later, in April 2015, he first met his future wife Sarbjit.
By July 2015, the couple were married and she was moving in, Singh told the court.
Singh said there were tensions with his first wife’s family who disagreed with his decision to re-marry.
In October 2016, he was told by police of a poison pen letter sent to his family, describing his new wife Sarbjit as an “evil step mum” who was “having an affair behind your back”.
The anonymous letter also alleged Sarbjit had a secret “boyfriend”.
He suspected the letter had been sent by “my first wife’s family” but did not take the matter further.
CCTV evidence
CCTV evidence has showed a figure, wearing a Parka-type coat and carrying a Sports Direct bag, at the front gate of the family home the morning of the murder.
Singh claimed scratches on his hands, seen on police officers’ body-worn video cameras, had been caused by handling “timbers” at work.
Opening the case, David Mason QC said: “This was not a burglary, during which Sarbjit lost her life.”
He added: “What we say has happened here may be blindingly obvious to you all ladies and gentlemen, but after Mr Singh has got back from the school run he had already planned to kill Sarbjit.
“He had obviously recruited someone else to help him.
“Whether it was a colleague, hired help, mistress, perhaps we will never know.”
The defendant placed an orange head-cloth on his head to take the oath on the Sikh holy book before giving evidence at yesterday's hearing.
He denies murdering Sarbjit Kaur and soliciting the murder of Amandeep Kaur.
The trial continues.
