Highlights
- Sandhu was sentenced to life imprisonment, with a minimum term of 28 years, at the Old Bailey on Friday (16).
- He murdered Xiaoqing Ke, 39, at her Earl’s Court home in December 2025.
- Prosecutors said he became angry after she discovered his lies and ended their relationship.
- He booked a one-way flight to Mumbai and falsely told his sister that another man had killed Ke.
A MAN who attempted to flee to Mumbai after murdering a woman in London has been jailed for life, with a minimum term of 28 years.
Deepak Sandhu, 24, from Southampton, was sentenced at the Old Bailey on Friday (16) after being convicted of murdering Xiaoqing Ke, 39, following the breakdown of their short relationship. The British Indian was also found guilty of perverting the course of justice.
The Metropolitan Police said Sandhu had grown increasingly angry after Ke tried to end their relationship. Evidence presented during the trial showed that he had sent her controlling and abusive messages before travelling to London to attack her.
“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,” detective chief inspector Wayne Jolley said.
“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,” he added.
Ke’s body was found at a bedsit on Old Brompton Road in Earl’s Court on December 10, 2025, after police were called over concerns for her welfare. She had suffered multiple stab wounds.
A murder investigation uncovered messages between the pair that showed Sandhu had become determined to take revenge after Ke discovered he had lied to her and stolen money from her. She ended the relationship in August 2025.
According to the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS), Sandhu had fabricated an identity, claiming to be a model and actor. In the weeks after the relationship ended, he repeatedly tried to contact Ke. He also told one of her colleagues that he would “take revenge” and that he would “become evil”.
Sandhu eventually persuaded Ke to meet him by promising to repay the money and claiming he could help with her citizenship applications.
Planned attack and attempt to flee
Sandhu travelled by coach from Southampton to London carrying a knife he had bought days earlier on December 9 last year.
CCTV footage showed him walking towards Ke’s home, while doorbell footage captured her letting him inside. He left about 90 minutes later. Investigators found no evidence that anyone else had entered or left the property before police discovered her body the following day.
Forensic evidence, phone data, witness accounts and CCTV helped prosecutors establish Sandhu’s role in the killing.
After leaving the property, Sandhu contacted his sister in India and falsely claimed that he had witnessed another man murdering Ke. He then returned to Southampton and booked a one-way flight from Birmingham to Mumbai to leave the country. He also changed the SIM card in his phone.
Police tracked him down and arrested him on December 12, 2025, while he was travelling by coach from Southampton to Birmingham Airport.
Shikha Varma of the CPS said Ke had seen through Sandhu’s lies and that he responded to her rejection with “a calculated and brutal attack”.
“Despite his repeated denials and efforts to evade justice, prosecutors were able to unravel his lies and present extensive evidence to the court of his anger towards Ms Ke and his presence at the scene, and the jury found him guilty of murder,” she said.
The CPS said it remained committed to prosecuting perpetrators of violence against women and girls.
“Our thoughts remain with Ms Ke’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time. We hope his conviction and sentence bring them some measure of justice,” Varma added.
