Man convicted of killing partner

A Leicester man who initially claimed his partner’s injuries were caused by falling has today (Friday 22 November) been convicted of her murder.

Tarnjeet Riaz, also known as Tarnjeet Chagger, was found with extensive trauma to her face, as well as multiple broken ribs, when she was found unresponsive at the home address of Raj Sidpara.

When emergency services were called to the house in Tarbat Road, Thurnby Lodge, on the afternoon of Monday 6 May, Sidpara told paramedics the facial injuries she’d sustained were as a result of Tarnjeet being drunk and falling over a number of times.

During the extensive police investigation, detectives were able to show Tarnjeet’s injuries were 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 – a recognised medical condition – and because of this he had been unable to remember what had happened.

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

The investigation into Tarnjeet’s death

In the hours leading up to the attack, through examination of CCTV, detectives pieced together the movements of the 44-year-old victim and the defendant.

The couple, who had been in a relationship for around five months, had attended an event at a venue in Lewisher Road, Leicester – arriving shortly before 8.30pm on Sunday 5 May.

They spent several hours drinking and socialising before leaving around 11pm. It was clear from the CCTV footage that Tarnjeet had no bruising or injuries to her face at the time of leaving the party.

When they returned to Tarbat Road the couple continued drinking with people from a neighbouring property.

When officers carried out house to house enquiries in the days that followed the incident, they were told by a local resident that two people – believed to be the victim and defendant – has been arguing in the street at around 1am on Monday 6 May. The man was reported to have been shouting and being verbally aggressive towards the woman while walking in the direction of Sidpara’s address.

Although the exact time of the attack on Tarnjeet is unclear it is believed to have happened in the early hours of the morning.

The ambulance service was called to the address around 12 hours after the argument in the street, by which point Tarnjeet was already dead – being declared deceased at 1.22pm.

Forensics examination of the property showed the attack had taken place in the bedroom with patches of blood identified on multiple surfaces.  

Also located in the bedroom were a pair of Sidpara’s trainers which had blood on both the top of the shoe and the soles. It is believed he was wearing these at the time of the incident and the injuries and bruising to Tarnjeet’s face were consistent with her being kicked and stamped on.

As the investigation progressed Sidpara maintained not being involved in Tarnjeet’s death and during a police interview he provided a written statement which began with the sentence ‘I have not caused the death of Tarnjeet Chagger’.

The month before the trial began, he admitted manslaughter but due to the strength of the evidence presented he has been found guilty of murder.

Detective Inspector Emma Matts, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit (EMSOU), was the Senior Investigating Officer.

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.”