Murder of Lakhvinder Cheema

Background

Lakhvir Kaur Singh had engaged in a 16-year affair with Lakhvinder Cheema after his first marriage had ended. Singh had three children and a husband, Aunkar, who was being treated for cancer at the time. In November 2008, Cheema ended the affair to become engaged to a younger woman, Gurjeet Choongh. Prior to the breakup, Singh had reportedly threatened to burn down Cheema's house if she found him in bed with the other woman.

The Poisoning

Following the breakup, Cheema was hospitalised for a week in December 2008 after suspected poisoning from a meal Singh had prepared. The following month, Singh travelled to India and returned with bikh poison, prepared from Aconitum ferox, a plant containing the highly toxic alkaloid pseudaconitine.

On 27 January 2009, Singh went to Cheema's home in Southall, West London, and laced a leftover curry in his refrigerator with the poison, aware that Cheema and Choongh planned to eat it that evening. Cheema had second helpings of the dish. After dinner he began vomiting, his face went numb, and he lost his vision and use of his limbs. His sister was able to get both him and Choongh to hospital, but Cheema died within an hour of arrival. During a 999 call, Cheema stated he had been poisoned by his ex-girlfriend. Choongh suffered the same symptoms but was placed into a medically induced coma and made a full recovery.

Trial and Sentence

The case drew attention for the cruelty of the killing method: victims of aconitine poisoning suffer severe vomiting and paralysis, with their organs failing and causing death by asphyxiation while the victim remains conscious throughout. It was noted as unusual because the last prior prosecution for murder using aconitine in the jurisdiction was that of George Henry Lamson in 1882.

The trial took place at the Old Bailey in February 2010. Singh attempted to place blame on her brother-in-law, but a lodger had witnessed her removing the curry from the fridge on the day of the murder. A plastic bag containing brown powder — found in Singh's coat and matching the poison in the curry — was said by Singh to be medication for a neck rash, but was in fact Indian aconite.

Singh was convicted on 10 February 2010 of the murder of Lakhvinder Cheema and of grievous bodily harm against Gurjeet Choongh; she was acquitted of attempted murder regarding Choongh and acquitted of a separate allegation of administering poison to Cheema on a previous occasion. The prosecution had sought a minimum term of 30 years given the premeditation involved and the presence of two victims. Singh received a life sentence with a 23-year minimum term.