Son gets life term for Sikh couple’s murder in UK

LONDON: An Indian-origin man found guilty of the double murder of his mother and stepfather has been sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum 36 years behind bars before being considered for parole by a UK court.

Anmol Chana, described as “fanatical” about knives, stabbed his mother Jasbir Kaur, 52, and her husband Rupinder Singh Bassan, 51, multiple times at their home in Oldbury in the West Midlands region of England earlier this year.

The 26-year-old was convicted of the two murders after a nineday trial at Birmingham Crown Court and sentenced on Friday. “You claimed to the jury that you had killed them in self-defence. The truth was very different,” said justice Mark Wall.

“I am sure that the allegations you made at trial of your mother abusing you throughout your childhood were false and designed to garner jury sympathy for you,” the sentencing judge concluded. The British Sikh couple were found dead at their home in February, after West Midlands Police officers forced their way into their home following concerns being raised for their welfare.

“Chana carried out a despicable crime against his family in their own home which should have been a place of safety. Our investigation revealed that Chana was fanatical about knives and had previously expressed a desire to kill his mother,” said detective Inspector Hannah Whitehouse, from the West Midlands Police homicide team.

Kaur’s daughter had been trying to reach her mother and sent a number of messages and even dropped by at their home but noticed Bassan’s car was not there and assumed they were out. The following day she called police and said she was concerned having still not been able to get in touch and also having tried her brother Chana at his home in nearby Smethwick.

As enquires continued, the police called Bassan’s workplace and, upon hearing that he had not attended work, officers forced entry into their home. Tragically, they found Kaur and Bassan dead, stabbed multiple times, the police said.

“We immediately launched a murder investigation and quickly turned our attention towards Chana. CCTV enquires showed that he had taken his stepfather’s car – a Toyota Aygo – during the early hours of Sunday morning (23 February),” a police statement said.

The police tracked down Chana to arrest him at his home soon after and a search of the property revealed the keys to the car, his passport with travel details and a combat style knife, and a sheath covered in blood on his bed.

JASBIR KAUR AND RUPINDER SINGH WERE FOUND DEAD AT THEIR HOME IN FEBRUARY, AFTER POLICE FORCED THEIR WAY INTO THEIR HOME AFTER CONCERNS WERE RAISED OVER THEIR WELFARE