An Indian-origin family broke down into bits and pieces on May 14, after their daughter was brutally murdered by her husband in her own house. Months later, that family can heave a sigh of relief as a court in UK has delivered some justice.
According to Hindustan Times, Mitesh Patel was accused of cheating and killing his pharmacist wife, Jessica, in her home in Middlesborough, northern England. The murder trial began at Teesside Crown Court last month.
The court was told that the accused had planned to claim a GBP 2-million (₹18 crore) life insurance payout and move out to Australia with his lover, Dr. Amit Patel. The jury was also told that Mitesh was guilty of cheating on other men through the dating app Grindr. In addition to that, his internet searches dating back years before the incident, included “I need to kill my wife”, “insulin overdose”, “plot to kill my wife, do I need a co-conspirator?”, “hiring hitman UK” and “how much methadone will kill you?”.
Mitesh had denied all the allegations and claimed that Jessica was murdered by burglars. But evidence presented by the prosecutors found him guilty of injecting her with insulin and suffocating her with a Tesco supermarket bag. At the end of the trial, Jessica’s family stated that,
Jessica Patel
Posted by Cleveland Police on Wednesday, December 5, 2018
“She had simple dreams, all she ever wanted was to fall in love, have a family of her own and live happily ever after. The man we welcomed into our family, who promised to look after and protect her, betrayed her in every sense of the word, cheating her of her dreams, robbing her of her life and robbing us of her.”
Considering how Mitesh Patel’s use of the app Grindr was an open secret, Justice James Goss had ruled out any jury member who had used the app or visited Patels’ pharmacy since 2011, to ensure a fair trial.
On Tuesday, the jury of six men and six women took around 3 hours to come to a conclusion. And at the end of the 3-hour-mark, they did find Mitesh Patel guilty of the crimes he was accused of.
Based on the jury verdict, Justice James said that a life sentence was mandatory. Additionally, he will determine Patel’s minimum term behind bars during a sentencing hearing that’ll take place on Wednesday.