Sundeep Singh had originally been jailed for a minimum of 30 years
Sundeep told police his sister was responsible for the murder(Image: Leicestershire Police)
A Leicester man who murdered his 76-year-old mother by smothering her with a plastic bag and then tried to bury her in a back garden has had his jail term reduced. Sundeep Singh successfully appealed against his minimum sentence at the Court of Appeal.
Singh, 49, was jailed for life at Leicester Crown Court on December 16 last year after being convicted of murdering 76-year-old Bhajan Kaur at her home in Bolsover Street, Leicester.
He subjected her to a savage beating before smothering her with a plastic bag on May 13, 2024.
The Court of Appeal reduced his sentence after ruling the original judge should have given more weight to his serious mental illness. Singh had formed a delusional belief that his father had intended to leave him the family home and that it was his property.
Singh had stayed regularly at his mother’s Bolsover Street home after his marriage broke down in 2013. His behaviour changed after his father died in 2020 and he became increasingly aggressive with his mother and other family members, demanding that she leave.
Land Registry checks showed he was not the owner of the property. Despite being told this by the police and being bailed with conditions to stay away, he continued to believe the house was his and slept in his car on the driveway.
The appeal court heard Singh had subjected his mother to a campaign of controlling and coercive behaviour. Mrs Kaur had made two statements to police describing how her son would demand money from her and had threatened to kill her, according to the judgment handed down on November 28.
On one occasion in August 2023, he kicked her out of the house, shouting about money and saying, “I am going to kill you. Why don’t you take all your tablets in one go and die or use a rope and hang yourself to death.” He went through her purse and took her cash and bank cards, the court heard.
Singh also threatened to stab his mother’s carers and his sister with a knife. When his brother attempted to talk to him about his behaviour, Singh threatened to kill him and his children, according to Mrs Kaur’s statement to police.
In her statement dated September 11, 2023, Mrs Kaur said her son would always ask for money, and when she did not give it to him, he made her feel bad. On August 12, 2023, he locked her out and went through her belongings, taking cash and her phone so she could not call anyone, the court was told.
When she asked for her phone and bank card back, he told her he didn’t have them and that she was mad. She later discovered gold jewellery worth between £4,000 and £5,000 was missing from her home.
On the day of the murder, Singh let himself into his mother’s home while she was alone. After the savage beating and smothering, he cleaned up blood from the floor and changed his bloodstained clothing, the court was told.
He went out and bought a spade and a sack trolley before returning to load his mother’s body onto the trolley. He had started digging a grave in the back garden when his sister Kalbinder Cheema arrived to visit their mother.
His sister found Mrs Kaur’s body and called 999. When confronted, Singh denied having anything to do with the death and tried to cast suspicion on his sister before fleeing, according to the judgment. He was arrested nearby in possession of a bag containing over £500 in cash and his mother’s bank card.
At trial he denied responsibility and claimed diminished responsibility, but both defences were rejected by the jury. The original sentencing judge ruled this was a “murder done for gain” as Singh saw his mother as an impediment to inheriting the house.
Three psychiatrists gave evidence at his trial on the issue of diminished responsibility. Dr Thirumalai stated in his report that the defendant was suffering from chronic and persistent delusional thinking at the time of the killing, the court heard.
Singh had been detained under the Mental Health Act 1983 on two occasions and was treated with anti-psychotic medication. He had been in contact with mental health services for serious mental health issues since at least 2021, according to psychiatric reports.
Her Honour Judge Tayton KC, delivering the Court of Appeal judgment on Friday, November 28, said there should have been an initial reduction from the 30-year starting point. Although the jury rejected diminished responsibility, she said Singh’s delusional disorder significantly reduced his culpability and the judge should have given this more weight.
Singh was originally sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 31 years at Leicester Crown Court. The Court of Appeal has now cut this to a minimum term of 24 years and 148 days, taking into account time already spent on remand.
