A man who stabbed his estranged wife in a chilling attack has been given a life sentence.
Satpreet Singh Gandhi, 37, stabbed Harleen Kaur Satpreet Gandhi at her home in Victoria Road, Headingley on September 5 last year. In the days before, he had loitered outside her flat on four separate occasions. On the day of her murder, Gandhi had taken a taxi and armed himself with a knife. He confronted Harleen, accused her of cheating on him and lashed out over their child being kept from him by her parents in India before stabbing her. She died on the doorstep of her flat.
Officers were called to reports of a disturbance at the address at around 6.26pm. The 32-year-old mum-of-two was found unconscious and was taken to hospital for treatment but was pronounced dead a short time later. A post-mortem examination found she had died as a result of a stab wound to the chest.
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Armed officers were then deployed to try and find Gandhi as a suspect after receiving information from one of his family members about messages he had sent and he was arrested at his address in Kirkstall Road, Burley. A letter at his home read: "This is my revenge for the humiliation and disrespect." West Yorkshire Police say the couple had separated around six months before Harleen's murder. They had both moved from India to the UK in March 2021 as students but, the Crown Prosecution (CPS) said Gandhi had become "extremely jealous" of his wife's social life and saw it as disrespectful towards him.
CCTV footage captured Gandhi in an Asda store in Kirkstall Road buying the knife he used in the murder just days before carrying it out. More footage captured him waiting across the road from Harleen's home on the day of her death. He had a backpack believed to have contained the knife. He was captured on another CCTV camera leaving the basement flat at 6.24pm and running away.
Following Harleen's murder, those who knew her told police of Gandhi's controlling behaviour. The CPS said he had accessed Harleen's phone, believing she lied to him about her movements and that she was engaging in friendships with men. He also blamed her when he turned to alcohol and she ended the relationship and moved to a flat on her own. One of their children remained with Gandhi while another stayed at her family home in India.
Gandhi carried out the murder after his wife's family decided both children should live with them rather than return to him in the UK. He sent a message to the family WhatsApp group which said: "I have to take this step. This cheating and insult was hitting me like hell. The anger was uncontrollable now."
In another message, Gandhi said: "If u start disrespecting ur son in law and dnt trust him like ur daughter, everything will be messed up. Girls parents play a very important role in every relationship but when they start listening and blindly trusting their daughter, this is what happens."
In further messages Gandhi sent to family members after the murder, he wrote: “I told them all very clearly that this is not done and if u dnt change this decision and send [child] to UK, u all will have to regret their whole life for this decision.”
He gave no comment in interviews but was charged with her murder and pleaded guilty at Leeds Crown Court on November 8 last year.
He appeared for sentencing on Monday (January 9) and was handed a life sentence with a minimum term of 23 years and four months, which he must serve before going before the Parole Board who will determine if he is safe for release.
In a statement, Harleen's parents, Ravinder Singh and Narinder Kaur Kohli, and her brother, Ekam Singh Kohli thanked the judge and Crown Prosecution Service (CPS). They added: "We are extremely grateful to West Yorkshire Police for their hard work and dedication in finding Harleen’s body so quickly and in gathering enough evidence that Satpreet Singh Gandhi could be charged speedily.
"It has been a terrible time for the family, and we would like to praise our police Family Liaison Officers for their kindness and understanding and for keeping us informed of developments in the case in such a timely manner. They have been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal.
"We would like to thank all the court staff for ensuring the smooth running of the proceedings, the prosecuting KC and his staff for their roles and the Judge for showing consideration for all the people who attended court today. We would also like to express our thanks for the support, help, and aid we have had from Ramgarhia Board Gurdwara Leeds, and the owner and staff from Harleen’s workplace, and some of her friends."
Senior Investigating Officer at West Yorkshire Police, Detective Inspector Amanda Wimbles said: "Harleen had come to the UK to study and was clearly someone who had plans and ambitions for her future when her life was cruelly cut short by her estranged husband's murderous actions.
"She was living separately from him following an apparent background of domestic abuse and controlling behaviour by him and was attempting to move on with her life. It appears that he could not accept this and chose to take her life, as we sadly see too often in abusive relationships. Harleen's death in such sudden and tragic circumstances has left her family utterly devastated, and we hope they can find some degree of comfort from knowing he has now had to answer for his actions and has been given a life sentence.
“West Yorkshire Police is committed to working alongside our partner agencies to tackle violence against women and girls, particularly domestic abuse, and we continue to encourage victims or those who know about their situation to report it to us, either directly or to any of our partner agencies, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.”
Senior Crown Prosecutor Emma Covington, from the CPS, said: "The murder of Harleen Kaur Satpreet Gandhi was premeditated and horrific. Satpreet Singh Gandhi killed his wife because he could not control her and could not stand to watch her enjoy the life she had made for herself after moving to the UK. He has deprived two young children of their parents in the most traumatic way possible.
“The prosecution built a compelling case against Gandhi so that when faced with the overwhelming evidence against him, he pleaded guilty to the murder of his wife. Our thoughts remain with Harleen’s family and her children as Gandhi begins his life sentence. The CPS is committed to securing justice for victims of domestic abuse and will always seek to hold violent offenders to account for their crimes.”
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