Man found guilty of murdering partner in ‘vicious’ bedside attack

A man has been convicted of murdering his partner who died on the floor next to his bed after he violently attacked her at the end of a night out.

Tarnjeet Riaz, 44, also known as Tarnjeet Chagger, had injuries to her face and broken ribs when she was found unresponsive at the home of Raj Sidpara.

Sidpara, 50, admitted manslaughter before his trial but was found guilty at Leicester Crown Court on Friday of murdering her in the early hours of May 6 at his property in Tarbat Road, Thurnby Lodge, on the outskirts of Leicester, Leicestershire Police said.

The jury had been told that Sidpara “beat and kicked and stamped” his partner to death in the “confined space” of his bedroom, causing 20 rib fractures and a brain injury.

Prosecution barrister Steven Bailey said her injuries were “inflicted with great force, with intensity”.

He told the jury while opening the case: “Many or most of them, the prosecution say, he is likely to have inflicted once, or while, she was unconscious or at least helpless, since the neighbours did not hear her crying out for help.”

The barrister added that the defendant “might even have gone to sleep while she died on the floor by the side of his bed”.

The couple, who had been in a relationship for around five months, had attended an event at a venue in Lewisher Road on the evening of May 5 and left at around 11pm.

Police were told by a local resident that two people, believed to be the couple, had an argument in the street and the male was being “verbally aggressive”.

When she died, a part of us died too. She was the soul of our family, bringing warmth and light into every moment. Now, her absence has left only darkness

The jury was told that the next day at 1.15pm, Sidpara rang 999 and told the call handler that his partner had fallen over after they had been drinking which had caused her injuries.

Mr Bailey told the court that Sidpara was advised to give his partner CPR, but that failed because she was “already cold and stiff”.

Sarah Vine KC, defending Sidpara, invited the jury to consider that his alcohol dependency may have caused him to behave the way he did.

The defendant will be sentenced on November 29 at the same court.

Ms Riaz’s brother, Balraj Chagger, said in a statement: “Raj took advantage of a woman half his strength and his cowardice and violence cost Taz her life and has shattered our lives forever.

“There was no emotion and no remorse from Raj for his actions. To think my sister was in a relationship with this monstrous man and to think how he had treated her – all Taz ever wanted was to be loved.

At the heart of this investigation has always been the strive to get justice for Tarnjeet’s family – they have lost a loved one in the most devastating way possible

“When she died, a part of us died too. She was the soul of our family, bringing warmth and light into every moment. Now, her absence has left only darkness.

“No sentence imposed will ever reflect the heartache and pain inflicted upon our family. We will never be able to come to terms with the loss of our beloved Taz.”

Detective Inspector Emma Matts, from the East Midlands Special Operations Unit, said: “Tarnjeet was subject to a violent and vicious attack at the hands of her partner which sadly led to her death.

“Even after committing the crime, Sidpara did not call emergency services for a number of hours and throughout the initial investigation continued to maintain that some of Tarnjeet’s injuries were caused from her falling over while drunk.

“At the heart of this investigation has always been the strive to get justice for Tarnjeet’s family – they have lost a loved one in the most devastating way possible.

“I hope today’s verdict will give them a small amount of comfort to know that the man responsible for her killing is now behind bars.”