Lakhvinder Cheema was murdered on 27 January 2009 in

Southall Southall () is a large suburban county of West London, England, part of the London Borough of Ealing and is one of its seven major towns. It is situated west of Charing Cross and had a population of 69,857 as of 2011. It is generally divided ...

, West London, by his former lover, Lakhvir Kaur Singh through the use of poison derived from the ''

Aconitum ferox ''Aconitum ferox'' (syn. ''A. virorum'') is a member of the monkshood genus Aconitum of the Ranunculaceae. The common name by which it is most often known in English is Indian Aconite, while the Hindi names used by practitioners of Ayurveda inclu ...

'' plant, which contains the highly toxic alkaloid

pseudaconitine Pseudaconitine, also known as nepaline (C36H51NO12), is an extremely toxic alkaloid found in high quantities in the roots of '' Aconitum ferox'', also known as Indian Monkshood, which belongs to the family Ranunculaceae. The plant is found in East ...

. 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 cruel method of killing and the degree of

premeditation Malice aforethought is the "premeditation" or "predetermination" (with malice) required as an element of some crimes in some jurisdictions and a unique element for first-degree or aggravated murder in a few. Insofar as the term is still in use, ...

, with Singh travelling to

India India, officially the Republic of India (Hindi: ), is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by area, the second-most populous country, and the most populous democracy in the world. Bounded by the Indian Ocean on the so ...

to procure ''bikh'' poison, prepared from ''Aconitum ferox''. 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. She had three children and her husband Aunkar was being treated for

cancer Cancer is a group of diseases involving abnormal cell growth with the potential to invade or spread to other parts of the body. These contrast with benign tumors, which do not spread. Possible signs and symptoms include a lump, abnormal b ...

. The main event leading up to the murder of Cheema was his breaking off the affair to enter in an engagement with a younger woman in November 2008. Prior to this Singh had threatened that she would burn down his house if she found him in bed with the woman.

Murder

After the break-up, Cheema was hospitalized for a week in December 2008 with suspected poisoning after consuming a meal prepared by Singh. A month later, Singh returned from a trip to

with the aconite that would later be used in the murder. On 27 January 2009 Singh went to the victim's home and laced a leftover curry in his refrigerator with the poison, knowing that he and his

fiancée An engagement or betrothal is the period of time between the declaration of acceptance of a marriage proposal and the marriage itself (which is typically but not always commenced with a wedding). During this period, a couple is said to be ''fi ...

were planning to eat the dish that evening. Cheema had second helpings of the curry. After the dinner he began to

vomit Vomiting (also known as emesis and throwing up) is the involuntary, forceful expulsion of the contents of one's stomach through the mouth and sometimes the nose. Vomiting can be the result of ailments like food poisoning, gastroenterit ...

, 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

999 999 or triple nine most often refers to: * 999 (emergency telephone number), a telephone number for the emergency services in several countries * 999 (number), an integer * AD 999, a year * 999 BC, a year Books * ''999'' (anthology) or ''999: T ...

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

Trial

The case gained attention due to the particularly cruel nature of Cheema's killing. Victims of

aconitine Aconitine is an alkaloid toxin produced by various plant species belonging to the genus ''Aconitum'' (family Ranunculaceae), known also commonly by the names wolfsbane and monkshood. Monkshood is notorious for its toxic properties. Aconitine is ...

poisoning suffer severe vomiting, and often become

paralysed Paralysis (also known as plegia) is a loss of motor function in one or more muscles. Paralysis can also be accompanied by a loss of feeling (sensory loss) in the affected area if there is sensory damage. In the United States, roughly 1 in 50 ...

. Their organs stop working and they die from

asphyxiation Asphyxia or asphyxiation is a condition of deficient supply of oxygen to the body which arises from abnormal breathing. Asphyxia causes generalized hypoxia, which affects primarily the tissues and organs. There are many circumstances that ca ...

, yet they remain conscious throughout. The case was also unusual, as the last prosecution for murder using aconitine was that of

George Henry Lamson George Henry Lamson (8 September 1852 – 28 April 1882) was an American doctor and murderer. Early life Lamson was born on 8 September 1852. He was the son of Julia Wood Schuyler and Rev. William Orne Lamson (1824–1909), who married in 1850. ...

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 Indian 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 In common law jurisdictions, an acquittal certifies that the accused is free from the charge of an offense, as far as criminal law is concerned. The finality of an acquittal is dependent on the jurisdiction. In some countries, such as the ...

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

involved in addition to the fact there had been two victims. Singh received a

life sentence Life imprisonment is any sentence of imprisonment for a crime under which convicted people are to remain in prison for the rest of their natural lives or indefinitely until pardoned, paroled, or otherwise commuted to a fixed term. Crimes fo ...

with a 23-year

minimum term Mandatory sentencing requires that offenders serve a predefined term for certain crimes, commonly serious and violent offenses. Judges are bound by law; these sentences are produced through the legislature, not the judicial system. They are inst ...

References

Bibliography