Leicester man convicted of killing partner after claiming she fell

A man has been convicted of killing his partner after claiming her injuries were caused by falling.

Tarnjeet Riaz was found unresponsive with extensive trauma to her face and multiple broken ribs, at the home address of Raj Sidpara in Leicester on May 6.

Sidpara told paramedics the facial injuries she’d sustained were as a result of Tarnjeet being drunk and falling over a number of times.

Detectives found that Tarnjeet’s injuries were actually caused deliberately by the 50-year-old after a night out at a party.

In October, Sidpara admitted causing the injuries but denied intending to kill Tarnjeet or cause her serious harm due to being drunk at the time of the attack.

He also claimed that due to his excessive and frequent drinking he suffered from alcohol dependence – and because of this he had been unable to remember what had happened.

During the trial both claims were disproved and Sidpara was found guilty of murder and is due to be sentenced next Friday (29 November).

She said: “Tarnjeet was subject to a violent and vicious attack at the hands of her partner which sadly led to her death.

“Even after committing the crime, Sidpara did not call emergency services for a number of hours and throughout the initial investigation continued to maintain that some of Tarnjeet’s injuries were caused from her falling over while drunk.

“It was quite clear early on that this was not the case and a thorough investigation was carried out.

“Sidpara later admitted to causing the injuries and denied his intention was to kill his partner. Again, thanks to the dedication and detailed work of police and the prosecuting team this has been disproven and the jury have found him guilty of murder.

“I am pleased the hard work and dedication of the teams involved has led to this guilty verdict. At the heart of this investigation has always been the strive to get justice for Tarnjeet’s family – they have lost a loved one in the most devastating way possible. I hope today’s verdict will give them a small amount of comfort to know that the man responsible for her killing is now behind bars.”