Man who ‘beat, kicked and stamped’ his girlfriend to death in bedroom before going to sleep jailed for life

Raj Sidpara was given a minimum term of 21 years for murdering Tarnjeet Riaz in May

Raj Sidpara was found guilty of murder (Leicestershire Police/PA) (PA Media)

A man has been jailed for life after he “took pleasure” from beating his partner to death in a “savage and merciless” attack next to his bed.

Raj Sidpara, 50, was found guilty of murdering Tarnjeet Riaz, 44, also known by her maiden name Chagger, in the early hours of May 6 in his property in Tarbat Road, Thurnby Lodge, on the outskirts of Leicester.

The defendant admitted manslaughter before his trial at Leicester Crown Court but a jury convicted him of the more serious charge of murder after a two-week trial earlier this month.

Judge William Harbage KC handed the defendant, who sat in the dock with his hands clasped in front of him, a minimum term of 21 years at the same court on Friday.

Tarnjeet Riaz was described as the ‘soul’ of her family (Leicestershire Police/PA) (PA Media)

The judge told Sidpara, who wore a beige tracksuit: “You have hidden, I am sure, behind a false claim of having no memory of the incident. You attacked her in a savage and merciless way.

“Your conspicuous lack of remorse at any stage is quite remarkable.”

The court heard that Ms Riaz suffered 64 injuries to her face, head and chest, including bruising, a brain injury, and 20 rib fractures.

Prosecutor Steven Bailey previously told the jury Sidpara caused his partner’s lip “not just to be split but to be torn away from the jaw”.

The couple, who had been together for five months, had been on a night out together on May 5 before leaving a bar in Lewisher Road at around 11pm.

Sidpara drove them home “without difficulty” while Ms Riaz had been “unsteady on her feet”, the jury had heard.

Once home, Sidpara “beat and kicked and stamped” his partner to death in the “confined space” of his bedroom.

The court heard that he then took off his “bloody shoes” after the attack, went to bed next to where Ms Riaz lay injured, and fell asleep.

Raj Sidpara was sentenced at Leicester Crown Court (Lucy Bogustawski/PA) (PA Archive)

During the trial, the jury were told Sidpara phoned emergency services the next day and was told to perform CPR which was unsuccessful because Ms Riaz was “already cold and stiff”.

The defendant claimed that his partner had suffered her injuries from falling over drunk, the court heard.

Sidpara’s previous convictions show that he has an “established pattern of domestic violence”, including threats to kill a former partner and battery, the court was told.

A statement written by Ms Riaz’s brother, Balraj Chagger, was read to the court during the sentencing hearing, calling her the “soul” of their family.

The statement said: “We will never know how this disgusting man took enjoyment from doing this to people and to Tarnjeet.

She must have suffered real physical pain before she died. She died at the hands of her partner, someone she should have been able to trust

Judge William Harbage KC

“If it was not Tarnjeet, it would have been someone else. This man took pleasure hurting someone weaker than himself, a vulnerable woman, one of many he has hurt before.

“His actions are vile, inexcusable, and utterly lacking in remorse. She was ripped away from us in a way so violent we cannot begin to understand.”

The court heard that since the murder, Sidpara has been diagnosed with alcohol dependence.

Defence barrister Sarah Vine KC said: “It was quite clearly his excessive intoxication… which proved to be the gateway to this level of violence.”

The judge told the court: “I accept, on balance, his intention was to cause really serious harm, not to kill, and there is a lack of premeditation. He clearly has a number of difficulties but I’m not satisfied they lessen his degree of culpability or responsibility.

“The evidence does not suggest he was blind drunk. The evidence in the trial was that he was capable of driving home.”

Addressing Sidpara, the judge said: “Taz was visibly intoxicated and unsteady on her feet. It is clear from the evidence, not least you blowing smoke from your vape into her face, that you were irritated by her drunkenness.

“She must have suffered real physical pain before she died. She died at the hands of her partner – someone she should have been able to trust.”