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Murder of Lakhvinder Cheema

Lakhvinder Cheema was murdered in Southall, West London, by his former lover, Lakhvir Kaur Singh through the use of the poison aconitine. Singh became known as "The Curry Killer" due to the food to which the poison was added.

The case is of note due to the unusual and cruel method of killing and degree of premeditation, with Singh traveling to India to procure the ancient poison aconitine. Singh received a life sentence with a 23 year minimum term.

Background

Singh had engaged in a 16 year affair with Lakhvinder Cheema after his first marriage had failed.

The main event leading up to the murder of Cheema was his breaking off the sixteen-year affair he had been having with Singh to marry a younger woman in October 2008.

Murder

After the break-up, Cheema had been hospitalized for a week with suspected poisoning after consuming a meal prepared by Singh. A month later, Singh returned from a trip to India with the Aconite that would later be used in the murder. On 27 January Singh went to the victim's home and laced a curry in his refrigerator with the poison, knowing that he and his fiancée were planning to eat the dish that evening.

After the curry dinner, Cheema began to vomit, and his face became numb; he soon lost vision and the use of his limbs. Though his sister was able to get the couple to a hospital, Cheema died within an hour of arrival. Choough suffered the same symptoms, but was placed into a medically induced coma and made a full recovery.

During a 999 call, Cheema stated he had been poisoned by his ex-girlfriend.

Trial

The case gained attention due to the particularity cruel nature of Cheema's killing. Victims of aconite poisoning suffer severe vomiting, become paralysed and have the sensation of ants crawling over their body. Their organs stop working and they die from asphyxiation, yet they remain conscious throughout. The case was also unusual, as the last prosecution for murder using aconite was that of George Henry Lamson in 1882.

The trial took place at the Old Bailey in 2010. Singh attempted to blame her brother in law Varinda for the crime but a lodger had witnessed her taking the curry out of the fridge on the day of the murder. It was also revealed that a plastic bag containing brown powder was found in Singh's coat. She had claimed this was medication for a rash on her neck, whereas it was in fact aconite, matching the poison found in the curry.

Sentence

Singh was convicted on 10 February 2010 of the murder of Lakhvinder Cheema and grievous bodily harm against his new fiancée who survived the attack (Singh was acquitted of attempted murder). Singh was also acquitted of administering poison to her ex-lover's food on a previous occasion.

The Crown had sought life imprisonment for Singh with a minimum term of 30 years, due to the gravity of the case and the level of premeditation involved in addition to the fact there had been two victims. Singh received a life sentence with a 23 year minimum term.

Wikipedia.org

Jailed for life: Jilted woman who left ex-lover and his fiancée to die in agony after poisoning them with curry laced with deadly Indian aconite

DailyMail.co.uk

February 11, 2010

A jealous woman who laced her former lover's curry with poison was given a life sentence today for his murder.

Lakhvir Singh, 45, was told she would serve a minimum of 23 years after she was convicted yesterday of poisoning Lakhvinder "Lucky" Cheema and his fiancee Gurjeet Choongh.

Singh was driven to murder to stop her secret lover of 16 years marrying his young fiancee.

The jealous mother of three sneaked into the home of Mr Cheema and Miss Choongh and spiked a curry in the fridge with deadly Indian aconite -known as the Queen of Poisons.

The couple ate the meal as they discussed their wedding - which was due to take place just weeks later on Valentine's Day last year.

Within hours of eating the curry on January 27, Mr Cheema, 39, was dead after having second helpings and Miss Choongh, 21, was fighting for her life in hospital.

Singh, of Southall, west London, showed no emotion as she was found guilty of murder.

She was also found guilty of causing Miss Choongh grievous bodily harm with intent but was cleared of attempting to murder her and of administering poison to Mr Cheema in December 2008 at his home in Princes Road, Feltham, west London.

Sentencing her at the Old Bailey, Judge Paul Worsley told her: 'You were not just a spurned lover, you did not simply explode in anger at your rejection. You set about a cold and calculating revenge.'

Singh looked close to tears today as she was sentenced. She glanced up at the public gallery as she was taken down after learning she would be nearly 70 by the time she was eligible for release.

Miss Choongh said she could never forgive Singh for taking away the man she was about to marry.

She said: 'I believe she should be given the sternest sentence possible so that it deters anyone else from even considering doing this to another person.'

Miss Choongh told the court in a victim impact statement she still suffers the stress of having been close to death.

She said: 'I am still under a lot of stress. It preys on my mind all the time.

'The time I spent in hospital was a very difficult time for me.

'I did not speak English, my family were not with me to take care of me and I felt completely alone and isolated.

'I still do not feel fully recovered and I believe it will affect me for the rest of my life.

'For several months the doctors were not sure whether or not it would have a long term effect on my internal organs. This gave me a lot of tension and I am still under a lot of stress.'

She added: 'Lakhvinder Cheema was my fiance and we were to be married on February 14 2009.

'Preparations for the wedding were under way, here as well as in India where my family lives.

'However, it is very unfortunate that Lakhvinder was snatched away from us.

'He was looking forward to having children and also having his elderly father living with us.

'But none of this is now possible. His death was a major shock for me.

'Even though I knew him only three-and-a-half months, he had a very important place in my life. Now my life without him is extremely hard.

'The poisoning led to Lakhvinder's death and took me to the brink of death.'

Miss Choongh was sometimes feet away from Singh, who had been on bail, in court.

But the two women did not exchange glances other than frosty stares when the other one was not looking.

Mr Cheema's sister, Narinder Singh, who is also the sister-in-law of Lakhvir Singh's husband, also told of her pain in a statement.

She said: 'He was like a son to me and like a god to me.

'My sons say that we cannot bring our uncle back but we want justice for him.

'When he was around I never felt that I needed anyone. Now I feel as if there is only emptiness in my life."

Mrs Singh, 48, of Windsor, Berkshire, said her family had been devastated by Mr Cheema's death.

She added: 'We do not know what Lakhvinder was going through as I was unable to speak to him in his last moments.

'When my brother was alive he could not bear to see me crying. Now I am left to cry for the rest of my life.

'Lakhvinder was a friend to everyone and he always helped everyone. The day he needed help, no one helped him.

'We cannot find words to to express what we feel in our hearts. We cannot adequately express the vacuum left in our lives.'

Guilty of murder: Jilted woman who left ex-lover to die in agony after poisoning him with curry laced with deadly herb

By Rebecca Camber - DailyMail.co.uk

February 11, 2010

Smiling shyly, they pose for photos at their engagement party.

Lakhvinder Cheema, 39, and his fiancee Gurjeet Choongh planned to marry just weeks later, on Valentine's Day, and hoped to soon start a family.

But their dreams were shattered when Mr Cheema's spurned former lover took a deadly revenge using the plant aconite, or wolfsbane, a deadly ancient toxin known as the 'Queen of Poisons'.

Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 45, who had been having a secret affair with Mr Cheema for 16 years, was prepared to kill rather than share him with someone else.

Despite being married with three children, Singh was filled with jealousy and rage after learning that her lover was to marry a woman half her age.

She planted the poison in a chicken curry eaten by Mr Cheema and his 22-year-old fiancee two weeks before their planned wedding last year.

Mr Cheema, who was paralysed less than an hour after eating the dish, died soon after arriving at hospital but managed to name his killer with his last breath.

His fiancee survived only because she had eaten less of the meal.

Yesterday Singh became the first person to be convicted of murder using the rare poison since 1882.

An Old Bailey jury also convicted her of causing grievous bodily harm by poisoning Miss Choongh in the attack in January last year.

Singh, who was related to her lover by marriage, had been having an affair for years while her husband Aunkar, 57, was receiving different treatments for cancer.

The relationship started when Mr Cheema, known as Lucky, moved into the family's home in Southall, West London, after his first marriage failed.

Singh, trapped in a loveless marriage arranged when she was 20, set out to seduce their new tenant.

Even when Mr Cheema, a cleaner, moved out and bought his own home, their clandestine meetings continued.

Singh became pregnant twice but each time her lover made her have an abortion, terrified of the shame that their affair would bring if it was discovered.

For years Singh visited his house every day to clean, cook and do his laundry with all the devotion of a wife.

But their relationship faltered when Mr Cheema was introduced to Miss Choongh, an illegal immigrant.

After the pair became engaged, Singh bombarded her lover with text messages begging him to break off the engagement, calling him a 'bastard' and saying her heart was broken.

She threatened to burn down his house after finding him in bed with his fiancee.

When Mr Cheema refused to break it off, she plotted her revenge.

On a trip to India she bought the aconite, described as 'the ancient choice of poisoners', supposedly used by witches in the Middle Ages.

Victims suffer severe vomiting, clammy skin, a tingling of the hands and feet, and the sensation of ants crawling over the body.

Like cyanide, it stops the heart and other internal organs from working, causing death by asphyxiation.

On January 27 last year, Singh sneaked into his house in Feltham, West London, and sprinkled the poison in a tupperware box containing a curry in the fridge.

Later, when Mr Cheema and his fiancee ate the curry, both started to feel seriously unwell.

Suspicious that Singh had poisoned them, he called 999, telling an operator: 'Someone put poison in our food. She is my ex-girlfriend.'

Mr Cheema screamed 'please help' as he lost vision and control of his arms and legs.

He was violently ill as he was carried to a car by family members who took him to hospital after paramedics failed to turn up.

Miss Choongh tried to reach for her fiance's hand as they were driven to the hospital, but she too was paralysed by the poison.

Mr Cheema lost consciousness in hospital and died. Miss Choongh was put into a medically induced coma to stabilise her heartbeat and made a full recovery.

Police found a bag of the poison in Singh's handbag and coat, but she claimed the herbs were for a neck rash she suffered.

Jurors are still deliberating on a charge of administering poison in relation to a previous alleged attack on Mr Cheema.

Singh faces life in jail when she is sentenced.

Like ants crawling all over you

Aconite, or wolfsbane, was supposedly used by witches in the Middle Ages to kill their enemies.

It features in Harry Potter and the Half-Blood Prince when Professor Snape uses it to stop Remus Lupin turning into a werewolf.

Like cyanide, it stops the heart and other internal organs from working, causing death by asphyxiation.

Victims suffer severe vomiting, clammy skin, a tingling of the hands and feet and the sensation of ants crawling over the body.

Breathing becomes slower and slower, stopping within as little as half an hour.

Victims lose the power to control their limbs but the mind remains clear throughout, making it a particularly cruel death.

Poison curry victim 'was cheating on fiancée with woman who killed him'

DailyMail.co.uk

January 12, 2010

Poison curry victim Lucky Cheema may have been cheating on his fiancée with the woman accused of killing him, the Old Bailey heard today.

Mr Cheema, 39, promised Gurjeet Choough that his affair with married Lakhvir Singh had ended three years earlier.

But shown text messages from Mr Cheema to Mrs Singh shortly before his death, Miss Choough, 23, said he could have been cheating on her.

Singh, 40, of Southall, west London, denies murdering Mr Cheema in January, last year, and attempting to murder Miss Choough.

She is alleged to have sprinkled poison aconite on to a curry which the newly-engaged couple shared that evening at Mr Cheema's home in Feltham, west London.

Mr Cheema and Singh were said to have had a secret affair for sixteen years, but Mr Cheema became engaged two months before his death.

Under cross-examination today, Miss Choough was read a series of romantic text messages, sent by Mr Cheema to Singh after the engagement by defence barrister Sir Desmond de Silva QC.

He said: 'I am sorry to have to put these matters to you. Would you agree with me that it looks as if Lakhvinder Cheema was cheating behind your back doesn't it.' A tearful Miss Choough replied: 'Having read these messages it would seem so.' She told jurors Mr Cheema had said the affair with Singh had ended three years before their relationship started, but she discovered it was continuing.

'You were deeply hurt,' said Mr de Silva.

'Yes,' said Miss Choough.

'When you raised the matter with him did he deny the relationship with Mrs Singh was continuing,' continued the barrister.

'Yes,' said Miss Choough.

She agreed that she had only spent three nights at his home in Princes Road, Feltham, west London, before his death.

It also emerged that he was with his lover over the Christmas holidays, just weeks before he was killed.

Mr de Silva, apologising for upsetting Miss Choough, said: 'Take Christmas Day 2008, Lucky Cheema didn't spend it with you. I suggest you may well know that Lucky Cheema spent Christmas Day 2008 with Mrs Singh.

'I can't remember,' she replied.

In a text message he sent to Singh on her birthday in October 2008, Mr Cheema wrote: 'You be my loved and I will give you all my love.'

In a further message sent after his engagement to Miss Choough in December, he said: 'I wait with hope for the night we meet each other in a dream.'

'Therefore Lucky Cheema had really told you a number of lies, the principle one of which is that you would be the only woman in his life after the engagement,' said Mr de Silva.

'Yes,' said Miss Choough.

She agreed that Mr Cheema's behaviour could be seen by some Sikh families as a 'great scandal' and said his brother-in-law Varinder had spoken to her just hours before his death.

'Did he asked you if you were pregnant,' said Mr de Silva.

'Was he angry and was he swearing a lot?' 'Yes,' Miss Choough replied.

'Did he use the words "I am going to cover my hands with Lucky's blood and only then my aggression and my anger will calm down",' asked the barrister.

'Yes,' she said.

Mr de Silva continued: 'At 1.30pm on January 27 Varinder was making, quite clearly, a threat to kill.' Miss Choough said: 'Yes.'

Mr Cheema died within an hour of arriving at hospital but Miss Choough survived after being put into a coma by doctors.

It is claimed Singh also poisoned another meal eaten by Mr Cheema on December 6, 2008, but he recovered after spending a week in hospital.

Police found two bags of herbs in Singh's coat and in a handbag at her home in Southall, west London.

They were found to contain the poison, the court heard.

Singh, of Southall, denies murder and attempted murder on January 28, 2009 and attempted murder of Mr Cheema on the earlier occasion in December 6, 2008.

The trial continues.

'One minute we were eating, the next everything went dark': Curry-murder fiancée tells of night her partner was poisoned

By Emily Andrews - DailyMail.co.uk

January 8, 2010

The grieving fiancée of the man allegedly poisoned by his former lover relived the horror of his death in court yesterday.

Gurjeet Choough, 23, told the Old Bailey that immediately after eating a chicken curry she and her fiancé Lakhvinder Cheema began to feel ill.

Just minutes later, she watched in horror as the 39-year-old became almost paralysed, lost his sight and begged 'please help'.

But she too then began to feel dizzy. She said everything went dark and she couldn't stand up as the poison took hold.

Miss Choough survived after two days in a coma but Mr Cheema, who had eaten more curry than her, died within hours of the meal.

Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, is accused of planting an ancient toxin known as the Queen of Poisons or aconite in leftover curry to kill Mr Cheema, her boyfriend of 16 years, and Miss Choough.

Although married herself, she was jealous that her lover had decided to marry and tried repeatedly to break up their relationship.

She had allegedly tried to poison him in December the previous year.

The court heard that two lodgers saw Singh entering Mr Cheema's house before putting something in the curry earlier in the day.

When Mr Cheema was told this by the pair as he was fighting for breath, he immediately suspected Singh of poisoning them.

Giving evidence, Miss Choough said on the evening of January 28 last year she had microwaved the leftover curry and then served it for the two of them at the dining table.

Mr Cheema, known as Lucky, had two helpings while they talked of their marriage, which was arranged for Valentine's Day. He then complained of feeling unwell.

Miss Choough said: 'He said that his face was becoming numb and when he touched it, he couldn't feel anything.

She added: 'Lucky said he couldn't see anything and he was losing all feeling in his body.'

By this point Mr Cheema had called an ambulance and telephoned his sister Narinder Khalon for help.

Wiping away tears, Miss Choough said: 'I was feeling the same as Lucky. Everything was going dark, I began to feel dizzy, I wasn't able to stand up and my tummy was hurting. Lucky also started vomiting.'

She added that Mr Cheema said the symptoms were the same as when he had spent a week in hospital in December 2008 after Singh had allegedly tried to poison him for the first time.

Mrs Khalon and her two sons arrived at the house in Feltham, West London, and again called for an ambulance but to no avail.

She then drove the couple to West Middlesex hospital. Mr Cheema died within an hour of arriving, but was able to name his alleged killer.

Although Miss Choough suffered the same symptoms, she was put into a medically induced coma to stabilise her heartbeat and made a full recovery.

Police later found two bags of aconite, also known as wolfsbane, thought to have come from India, in Singh's coat and in a handbag at her home in Southall, West London.

When she was arrested she claimed the herbs were for a neck rash.

She denies murder, attempted murder and administering poison. The case continues.

'Jealous woman threatened to burn down ex-lover's house before killing him and poisoning his young fiancee'

DailyMail.co.uk

January 8, 2010

A spurned woman threatened to burn down the house of her long-term lover after she spotted him in bed with his young fiancee, a court heard yesterday.

Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, issued the threat after peering through the window at Lakvhinder Cheema, 39, as he lay next to 21-year-old Gurjeet Choough, the Old Bailey was told.

It was one of a series of angry confrontations as Singh spied on the couple and tried to break up their relationship.

Singh is accused of planting an ancient toxin known as the 'Queen of Poisons' or wolfsbane in a curry to kill Mr Cheema, her boyfriend of 16 years, and Miss Choough.

Mr Cheema died within hours of eating the meal, but his fiancee survived because she ate less.

Yesterday Miss Choough told how she repeatedly clashed with her love rival weeks before the attack.

After seeing the couple in bed, Singh told Mr Cheema: 'I am going to burn your house down.'

Miss Choough said she was shocked when she first learnt that her husband-to-be had been having a lengthy affair with Singh, who is married with three children.

She warned Singh to leave them alone but the older woman refused.

'I told her not to interfere in our lives any longer, I told her to forget what had gone on in the past,'

Miss Choough said. 'She said, "I can't forget the feelings that I have".

During a row at Mr Cheema's house in Feltham, West London, on Christmas Eve 2008, Miss Choough said: 'I told her, "I know about your affair and stop coming around here now".

'I told her that you have your family, you have three children, you should look after them. I knew that she was jealous.'

The jury heard that Singh became pregnant twice during the affair which was conducted while her husband, Aunkar, 57, was receiving treatment for cancer.

Mr Cheema forced her to have abortions each time. On January 2, 2009, Singh turned up at Mr Cheema's home in a jealous rage, saying she had seen the couple in bed through the window.

Miss Choough said: 'He (Lakhvinder) said Lakhvir saw both of us through the window and we were both lying together on one bed and she said that we are not even married yet. 'He said, "It does not matter, we do not mind, we are going to get married". ‘She was saying, "I am going to burn your house down".'

Earlier, Singh had attempted to break up the couple by telling Mr Cheema his young fiancee, who entered the country illegally, was only after a British passport.

The marriage, due to take place on Valentine's Day 2009, had been arranged after a whirlwind romance.

When Mr Cheema refused to call it off, Singh is alleged to have turned to wolfsbane, also known as aconite, 'the ancient choice of poisoners'.

The first time she served him a poisoned meal, on December 6, 2008, he spent a week in hospital. When he made a full recovery, she struck again on January 28, sprinkling the toxin on a chicken curry at Mr Cheema's house, it is claimed.

After eating the curry Mr Cheema was paralysed, but he was able to name his alleged killer.

Although Miss Choough suffered the same symptoms, she was put into a medically-induced coma to stabilise her heartbeat and made a full recovery.

Police found two bags of the poison in Singh's coat and in a handbag at her home in Southall, West London. She denies murder and attempted murder.

The case continues.

Spurned woman 'murdered ex-partner and poisoned his new lover with deadly Indian plant during reconciliation dinner'

DailyMail.co.uk

January 7, 2010

A spurned woman poisoned her former lover and his new fiancee with a deadly ancient herb sprinkled in a curry, the Old Bailey heard today.

Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 44, tried to kill the couple with the Indian plant Aconite two weeks before they were due to be married.

Her ex-partner Lakhvinder Cheema, 39, was paralysed by the toxin less than an hour and died shortly after arriving at hospital.

His fiancee Gurjeet Choough, now 22, fell into a coma and only survived because she had eaten less of the meal.

Before he passed away, Mr Cheema - known as 'Lucky' - realised that he had suffered similar symptoms several weeks earlier after eating food prepared by his former lover, the court heard.

Prosecutor Edward Brown QC told jurors that Singh poisoned the couple out of 'jealousy, anger and revenge.'

The court heard Singh and Mr Cheema were related by marriage but had begun a 'clandestine' relationship 15 years ago.

Singh was married with three children although her husband has cancer and was abroad receiving treatment at the time of the murder.

Their relationship ended when Mr Cheema met Miss Choough and the couple were due to get married on St Valentine's Day last year.

'At the beginning of 2009 Lakhvinder Cheema and Miss Gurjeet Choough were looking forward to a long and happy life together,' said Mr Brown.

'That future happiness was cut short in a most terrible and cruel way.

As you will hear, it was their very happiness and their intended future together that brought about the devastation that came to bear upon them - at the hands of this defendant Lakhvir Singh.

'She had been Lahkvinder Cheema's long term lover and it was his decision to marry Miss Choough that caused the defendant to act in the way she did.

'With perhaps jealously, anger and revenge all playing their part she decided to poison the both of them, using an extremely toxic and deadly poison, possible brought especially from India.

'The poison was disguised, sprinkled into a curry that the couple were to eat.

'It was Lakhvinder Cheema's consumption of that curry and the poison that killed him.

'It is likely that only the fact that Miss Choough consumed rather less than her husband-to-be of that poisoned meal that saved her life. It was purely a matter of chance that she was able to survive.'

Jurors heard Mr Cheema first lost control of his arms and legs and then his sight before his heart started beating irregularly.

He died within an hour of being taken to hospital on January 28 last year.

Miss Choough suffered the same symptoms and was put into a coma so that experts could try to stabilise her heart and breathing.

Scientists identified the cause of Mr Cheema's death as Aconite, from the plant Aconite ferox - which means ferocious in Latin.

Mr Brown said: 'It is an ancient choice of poisoners but nowadays very unusual. It is an extremely toxic substance drawn from the aconite plant.'

Police found two bags of herbs in Singh's coat and in a handbag at her home in Southall, west London. They were found to contain the poison, the court heard.

It is claimed Singh also poisoned another meal eaten by Mr Cheema on December 6, 2008.

Mr Brown said: 'Before he died from the poisoning on 28 January, Lakhvinder Cheema realised he was suffering much the same symptoms as he had in December the previous year.

'This was shortly after the defendant had returned from India where she had gone having been told of the engagement of Lakhvinder Cheema and Gurjeet Choough.

'On this occasion the defendant and Lucky met, they ate together food that she had prepared, and soon afterwards he became ill, seriously ill.

'He was taken to hospital. The medical staff couldn't find the cause of his sickness. He remained in hospital for a week. On this occasion he recovered.'

Mr Brown added: 'The reality is that the defendant had poisoned Lakhvinder Cheema on this occasion.

'Whether it was to kill or to somehow draw attention to herself when she took him to hospital, or when she visited him on daily basis in hospital, in the hope that he might "see the error of his ways" as she saw it, we may never know.'

Singh, of Southall, denies murder and attempted murder on January 28, 2009 and attempted murder of Mr Cheema on the earlier occasion in December 6, 2008.

The trial continues.