UK man given life imprisonment for stabbing Indian-origin wife 59 times

Agencies
May 13, 2019

London, May 13: A man in the UK has been sentenced to life imprisonment for stabbing to death his Indian-origin wife following a row on Christmas day last year.

Laurens Brand, 47, who was charged with murder, used two kitchen knives to repeatedly stab his 41-year-old wife Angela Mittal in 2018.

He was sentenced to life with a minimum term of 16 years and eight months' imprisonment at a sentencing hearing at Reading Crown Court on Friday.

Angela had suffered 59 stab wounds to her neck and chest and died at the scene at their home in Shinfield, Berkshire.

Sentencing Brand, Judge Heather Norton said: "You stabbed your wife in the bedroom of the family home. Your attack on her was ferocious. You stabbed your wife no fewer than 59 times."

"At some point in the course of that attack, one knife broke. You left the room, you went to the kitchen, you fetched another knife and then returned," the judge said.

The court heard that the forensic evidence suggests that the victim was alive and struggling to defend herself through much of that attack. The judge noted that she would undoubtedly have suffered fear and pain.

"This was a brutal assault carried out by Laurens Brand on his wife, Angela Mittal, during which she suffered 59 separate injuries," said Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Mike Roddy, of the Thames Valley Police Major Crime Unit.

"Brand subjected Angela to this vicious attack in her own home, a place where she should have felt safe and secure. Instead of helping Angela, he tried to clean up before calling (emergency) 999. When he did call, he didn't ask for an ambulance, he asked directly for the police already in the knowledge it was too late for Angela," he said.

The court heard how Brand had physically and emotionally abused his "formerly bubbly and outgoing wife". The police expressed their sympathy with the victim's family during an "extremely difficult" time.

"I'd also like to commend them on the courage they have shown, especially today when having to explain what the loss of Angela means to them. It is never an easy time to lose anyone, but in such violent circumstances, in her own home, it is unimaginable," said Mike Roddy.

Her family, including father Bharat and mother Kamla Mittal, paid tribute to Angela, describing her as a popular young lady known for her "sweet and enduring wit".

They said in a statement: "Her life was tragically cut short due to a senseless crime."

"Angela truly lived life to the fullest through the simple pleasures; chatting with friends, spending time and enriching the lives of her family and always seeing the brighter side to life. She had this beautiful talent to bring people together from all walks of life and touch them in a deep and positive way".

They said that Angela was known for her creativity, kindness and big heart and the friendships, generosity and enthusiasm she displayed throughout her life is an "inspiration".

"Angela will be missed beyond words, her love, warmth and beauty will remain alive in her family and friends hearts," the family statement said.

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News Network
July 16,2020

Surat, Jul 16: Woman police constable Sunita Yadav, who had a confrontation with a minister's son over lockdown violation which led to his arrest here in Gujarat, claimed she has resigned from service. However, a senior police official has denied it.

Prakash Kanani, the son of Gujarat Minister of State for Health Kumar Kanani, and his two friends were arrested on Sunday for allegedly violating the lockdown and night curfew orders in Surat, a COVID-19 hotspot, a senior police official earlier said.

Yadav, who is being hailed on social media for taking action against the minister's son, told news channels on Wednesday that she had put in her papers.

"I have resigned because I did not receive support from my superior officers. I was only doing my duty as a constable. It's the fault of our system that these people (like the minister's son) think they are VVIPs (very very important persons)," she said.

However, a senior police official here denied that she has resigned.

"She has not given her resignation. The inquiry is still on and technically she cannot resign at this juncture," Surat Police Commissioner R B Brahmbhatt said.

Yadav's action had led to the registration of an FIR and arrest of Prakash Kanani and two of his friends for alleged violation of lockdown and curfew norms in Surat city.

The arrests came after a video of a heated exchange between them and Yadav, who pulled up the trio for violation of curfew, surfaced on social media. The trio was later released on bail.

Since the incident, Yadav is being hailed on social media.

While some social media users called her "Lady Singham" (referring to the tough cop in the Hindi film "Singham"), some suggested she contest the 2022 state Assembly polls against Kumar Kanani, who represents Varachha constituency in Surat district.

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Agencies
May 14,2020

Six migrant workers have been killed and five others seriously injured when a speeding bus ran over them on the Delhi-Saharanpur Highway near in Muzaffarnagar, officials said on Thursday.

The accused driver, who was suspected to be under the influence of alcohol, has been arrested, said SSP Abhishek Yadav.

The workers were going on foot to their homes in Bihar from Haryana when they were hit on the Delhi-Saharanpur Highway between Ghalili Check Post and Rohana Toll Plaza, about 20 km from here late last night, the official said.

The injured -- Sushil, Nathu Saini, Pawan Saini, Pramod and Ramji Rai --were rushed to hospital.

Two of the deceased were identified as Bijender, 25, and Harsh, 20. The rest were yet to be identified.

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News Network
June 6,2020

Kota (Rajasthan), Jun 6: A 14-year-old boy allegedly hanged himself to death on early Saturday morning shortly after he stopped playing PUBG throughout the night and went to sleep, said police. 

Railway Colony police station’s in-charge Hansraj Meena said the boy, a class 9 student and son of an Army man, was found hanging from the grill of the ventilator in his bedroom on early Saturday morning. 

Meena said according to the boy’s family members, the boy had downloaded the gaming programme on his mother’s mobile phone only three days back but had been playing the game virtually continuously for the last three days. 

He kept on playing the game till 3 am in a room in which his brother was studying, said Meena, adding the boy went to adjoining to sleep after that. His body was found hanging from the ventilator’s grill in the morning, he said, adding the boy was rushed to MBS Hospital, where he was declared “brought dead”. 

No suicide note was recovered in the case, the SHO said. The boy lived in Gandhi Colony in the city along with his mother and brother, while his father, a Tamil Nadu native and Army man, is currently posted in Arunachal Pradesh. The boy’s body has been kept in hospital’s morgue for the postmortem, the SHO said.

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