Rajveer Mahey, right, murdered his wife Kamaljeet Mahey, left, in their garage (Picture: West Midlands Police/SWNS)
A man who stabbed his wife to death because he wrongly believed she was having an affair has been jailed for life.
Jealous Rajveer Mahey, 50, repeatedly knifed Kamaljeet Mahey, 45, in their garage in Stowlawn, West Midlands, leaving her with catastrophic wounds to her neck and body.
She received a total of 28 ‘sharp force injuries’ in the attack, which happened at around 4.35am on December 15 last year and died at the scene.
About two hours later Mahey phoned relatives who live nearby saying ‘I have killed Kami now – I’m going to kill myself’.
But he didn’t take his own life, instead he walked calmly outside to meet his relatives before showing them where he had left his wife in the garage.
Mahey falsely believed that his wife was having an affair with someone at their work despite being repeatedly told this was untrue, Wolverhampton Crown Court heard.
Defending him, Mr Gurdeep Garcha KC said Mahey ‘only had himself to blame’ and there was ‘a darker side behind closed doors’.
Mahey wrongly thought his wife was having an affair, despite repeatedly being told this was untrue (Picture: West Midlands Police/SWNS)
He added it was unlikely Mahey’s children would ever speak to him again.
Sentencing him, Judge Michael Chambers KC said there was evidence that Kamaljeet fought back and ‘must have suffered’.
He said: ‘This was a brutal and sustained murder in a domestic context with domestic violence and abuse.
‘In accordance to the guidelines for such offending that increases the seriousness.
‘There was use of a weapon, namely a knife, and the offence occurred in her own home.’
Judge Chambers, who spoke to Mahey through an interpreter, told him he had shown little remorse for ‘depriving his children of a much loved member’.
He added that his best mitigation was his early guilty plea made at the preliminary hearing last month.
Judge Chambers said: ‘On the day in question you spoke to her brother-in-law again saying you suspected she was an an affair.
Kamaljeet, a mother of two, died at the scene (Picture: West Midlands Police/SWNS)
‘You were clearly still angry and agitated.
‘You knew she did not drink much alcohol, but unusually you encouraged her to drink some and you were unusually affectionate to your children.
‘A combination of that leads to the clear inference that you have decided to kill her.
‘CCTV shows that at 4.35am you went with her into the garage. It is right to say that it was usual for her to be preparing food in the garage at 4am.
‘You lured her into the garage. You did so in order to to kill her.
‘Loud screams were recorded at 4.35am. Four minutes later you came out and returned to the house.
‘It was not until 6.29am, two hours later, that you called your sister’s number then told your brother-in-law what you did.’
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Mahey was jailed for life with a minimum term of 16 years and eight months – minus 123 days for time spent in custody on remand.
Detective inspector Jim Mahon, who spoke after the sentencing, described the case as ‘absolutely tragic’ and said his thoughts remain with Kamaljeet’s two children.
He said: ‘This is an absolutely tragic case that has left two children without a mother and father.
‘Instead of calling the police, Mahey travelled to his place of work to let them know he wouldn’t be in that day.
‘My thoughts remain with Kamaljeet’s family.’
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