AN ASIAN delivery driver convicted of strangling a woman to death before dumping her body by the roadside in England’s West Midlands region was jailed for 29 years on Wednesday.
Tanveer Singh, 32, was charged with the murder of 41-year-old Shara Millar after her body was discovered by a member of the public in Smethwick in August last year.
During a sentencing hearing at Wolverhampton Crown Court, Judge Michael Chambers described Singh as a "manipulative and cynical" man who had shown no remorse.
"Shara was brutally killed by a dangerous predator," said Detective Inspector Joe Davenport, from the Homicide Unit of the West Midlands Police.
"Singh was drinking in a pub earlier in the night and visited Soho Road to look for sex workers. He then picked Shara up in his van and she was fatally attacked," he said.
Police said Singh also attempted to remove traces of evidence by pouring liquid over the victim’s body to “destroy any forensic evidence”.
“My thoughts are with Shara's loved ones, and I thank them for their support during this investigation and trial,” added Davenport.
Singh was found guilty earlier this month by a jury at Wolverhampton Crown Court.
The two-week murder trial heard that Shara was discovered with head injuries, and a forensic post-mortem examination found the cause of death to be strangulation.
West Midlands Police launched a murder investigation and carried out CCTV enquiries. Officers identified a white van from which Shara’s body was removed and left on the pavement. A liquid was then splashed and shaken over her body.
“Further enquiries revealed the van was registered to a rental company and was being used as a business vehicle for parcel delivery. We discovered that Tanveer Singh was in possession of the van at the time of the offence," police said.
Officers later traced Singh to his home address in West Bromwich. He was eventually stopped in a nearby vehicle and arrested on suspicion of murder.
The trial heard that Shara was trapped in a cycle of drug addiction and was working as a sex worker at the time of her murder.
“West Midlands Police work with partner organisations to offer support to women in sex work. We are here to listen and support you," the force said in a statement.
“No woman deserves to feel unsafe, and we are committed to providing safe spaces to report concerns and access support. By working with partners and specialist teams, we continue to pursue perpetrators who exploit vulnerable women," it said.
