A 24-year-old Punjab-origin man who stabbed his 39-year-old girlfriend to death in London after she ended their relationship has been sentenced to life with a minimum term of 28 years in prison.
The Old Bailey Court found Deepak Sandhu, a resident of Southampton, guilty of murdering Xiaoqing Ke in December 2025 after their brief relationship ended.
The Metropolitan Police arrested Sandhu three days after the December 9 murder while he was on his way to the airport to flee to Mumbai.
The Met Police said its investigation uncovered messages showing Sandhu had grown “increasingly angry” after Xiaoqing attempted to end their relationship, before travelling to London to carry out his fatal attack.
Spat over stolen money triggered break-up
On December 10, the Met Police were called to an address on Old Brompton Road, Earl’s Court, due to concerns for the welfare of a woman.
Officers attended and found the body of Xiaoqing Ke, 39, inside the property with multiple stab wounds.
A murder investigation was launched and officers gathered evidence, including mobile phones and clothing, to help build a picture of the assault and any relevant background on those who had been in contact with Xiaoqing.
{{/usCountry}}A murder investigation was launched and officers gathered evidence, including mobile phones and clothing, to help build a picture of the assault and any relevant background on those who had been in contact with Xiaoqing.
{{/usCountry}}The probe uncovered messages between Xiaoqing and Deepak Sandhu, who had clearly become obsessed with her following a short affair.
Police said further analysis of blood taken from the scene matched Sandhu and he was identified as a main suspect.
Enquiries revealed that Sandhu had stolen money from her and lied to her, which led her to attempt to break up the relationship.
Sandhu became determined to take revenge, which he discussed in a message to a friend in the days before the attack as well as predicting in a text that he would “become evil”.
Arrested while trying to flee to Mumbai after murder
On December 9, 2025, he travelled to London from Southampton with a knife after arranging to meet Xiaoqing. He attempted to conceal his identity before being let inside the address, where he then stabbed her.
“Upon leaving around 90 minutes later, he started efforts to flee the country to avoid detection. He falsely claimed to a family member that another man killed Xiaoqing while he was there and also booked a flight to Mumbai,” the Met Police said.Officers located Sandhu and arrested him on December 12 while he was on a coach heading to the airport, the Met said.“Our team uncovered vital evidence showing 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. 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,” said detective chief inspector (DCI) Wayne Jolley.
“Tackling violence against women and girls remains one of our key priorities, and we will do everything to identify those who carry out these offences and bring them to justice,” added Jolley.