London: A court in UK has sentenced a 52-year-old Indian man to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 40 years
Saju Chelavalel, from Kerala, pleaded guilty to the triple murder of his nurse wife – also from Kerala — and their two children, PTI reported.
Chelavalel appeared at Northampton Crown Court in eastern England, having earlier admitted to killing his 35-year-old wife Anju Asok, and their children Jeeva Saju (6) and Janvi Saju (4).
An audio, recorded at the time of Anju’s death, was played in court during the sentencing hearing.
“While you were squeezing the life out of your wife, your children can be heard crying in the background for their mummy. It is clear that they heard what was going on and knew that she was being hurt by you,” Justice Edward Pepperall noted.
Emergency services were called to the Indian family’s home in Kettering, Northampton, on December 15, 2022 to report that a woman and two children had suffered serious injuries.
Officers of Northamptonshire Police, who had to break down the door to gain entry, found Chelavalel holding a knife.
Despite repeated calls for him to put the knife down, he continued to wield it while shouting: “You shoot me”.
Police had to use a taser – a weapon used to immobilise a person – to get control of Chelavalel before arresting him.
Anju was declared dead at the crime scene, while the children succumbed a short time later.
Post-mortem found all three died as a result of asphyxiation.
A family spokesperson told the court that the life of Anju’s parents and siblings back in India will never be the same without her.
“She came to this country with a lot of expectations and dreams. She was not expecting a tragic death from her husband, whom she trusted,” the spokesperson told the court.
“Her only surviving sister and the aunt of Jeeva and Janvi is so traumatised that she hasn’t recovered from this incident’s mental shock and deep scars. Indeed, she was hospitalised for a week in India due to the shock of what happened,” the spokesperson said.
Chelavalel had the gall to contact Anju’s family from prison, which was causing them further distress.
