Man found guilty of murdering woman in 'brutal revenge attack' in west London

A man has been convicted of murder after a "brutal and fatal revenge attack" on a woman in west London.

Deepak Sandhu, 24, was found guilty of murdering Xiaoqing Ke at an Airbnb after their relationship broke down when she discovered he had stolen £500 from her.

Mr Sandhu was arrested by Met officers in December last year, moments before he attempted to leave the country.

At the Old Bailey on Thursday, prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC said that Mr Sandhu was a "fantasist" and an "obsessed, manipulative young man who could not accept her rejection of him".

The prosecution had outlined that the pair had "something of a relationship" and remained in contact when Ms Ke moved from Southampton to London.

The court heard that Mr Sandhu had told Ms Ke that he was an actor and model - when in reality he had been thrown off his IT course at Southampton Solent University, his visa had been revoked, and he was working as a labourer on building sites.

The two did not share a common language, and communicated using the Google Translate app, with detectives able to chart their relationship through their WhatsApp chats.

Xiaoqing Ke

Met Police

After their relationship ended, Mr Sandhu messaged a friend to say he would take revenge, predicting that he would “become evil”.

He pestered Ms Ke with calls and messages, including a video showing him with a pile of fake £20 banknotes promising to return the money he had stolen from her.

When she eventually arranged to meet on December 9, Mr Sandhu bought knives in Asda and travelled to Earl's Court to kill her.

He was captured by a Ring doorbell arriving at her flat on Old Brompton Road dressed in a baseball cap and wearing face coverings.

Jurors were told that, by the time he left the flat 90 minutes later, Ms Ke was dead.

Mr Sandhu promptly changed the SIM card in his phone and sent a voice message to his sister claiming that he had seen Ke murdered by "a professional".

Neighbours raised the alarm the following morning when they saw bloodstains on Ms Ke’s door.

Her body was found with multiple stab wounds on her bedroom floor by police officers, and Mr Sandhu’s blood was found at the scene.

Mr Sandhu denied being responsible for the killing, claiming Ms Ke was alive when he left her flat.

Deepak Sandhu

Met Police

A jury found him guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice by attempting to flee the country.

He was placed into custody, and will be sentenced at the same court on Friday.

Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the investigation, said: "Xiaoqing's family have been through an unimaginably painful time, and our thoughts remain with them.

“Our team uncovered vital evidence which showed Sandhu had become fixated on Xiaoqing and had subjected her to a tirade of controlling and abusive messages before ultimately deciding to end her life.

“Xiaoqing should never have had to endure what happened to her either in the months before her death or in the final moments of her life.”