Headingley murder: Man jailed for lying in wait outside student's flat and murdering her after their relationship ended

Satpreet Singh Gandhi, aged 37, stabbed 32-year-old Harleen Kaur Satpreet Gandhi after arming himself with a knife and loitering outside her flat in Victoria Road, Headingley, on Monday, September 5 last year.

Officers attended the scene after being called to reports of a disturbance at the address at 6.26pm.

Harleen, who left sons aged eight and four, was found unconscious inside the property with significant blood loss and was taken to hospital for emergency treatment but was pronounced dead a short time later.

A postmortem examination later showed she died as a result of a stab wound to the chest.

Armed officers were deployed to trace her estranged husband as a suspect, and he was arrested later that evening at his home address in Kirkstall Road, Burley.

Detectives from West Yorkshire Police Homicide and Major Enquiry Team launched a murder investigation into her death.

The couple, both Indian nationals, had come to the UK as students at the end of March 2021 but had separated approximately six months before the murder.

Enquiries uncovered CCTV of Satpreet Gandhi buying the knife he used in the Asda store on Kirkstall Road on August 28.

Other CCTV footage showed him waiting across the road from Harleen’s address in Victoria Road between 6.04pm and 6.15pm on September 5, with a backpack believed to contain the knife.

Further footage from the same camera showed him leaving the basement flat at 6.24pm and running off after attacking Harleen.

After the murder, people who knew Harleen disclosed a background of domestic violence and controlling behaviour by Satpreet Gandhi although nothing had been reported to the police at the time.

He gave no comment in his police interviews and was subsequently charged with her murder and appeared at Leeds Magistrates Court on September 8. The case was adjourned to Leeds Crown Court on September 12.

When he appeared at Leeds Crown Court on November 8, he pleaded guilty to murder.

Today, he was sentenced to life with a minimum of 23 years and four months.

Detective Inspector Amanda Wimbles said: “Harleen had come to the UK to study and was clearly someone who had plans and ambitions for her future when her life was cruelly cut short by her estranged husband’s murderous actions.

“She was living separately from him following an apparent background of domestic abuse and controlling behaviour by him and was attempting to move on with her life.

“It appears that he could not accept this and chose to take her life, as we sadly see too often in abusive relationships.

“Harleen’s death in such sudden and tragic circumstances has left her family utterly devastated, and we hope they can find some degree of comfort from knowing he has now had to answer for his actions and has been given a life sentence.

“West Yorkshire Police is committed to working alongside our partner agencies to tackle violence against women and girls, particularly domestic abuse, and we continue to encourage victims or those who know about their situation to report it to us, either directly or to any of our partner agencies, including the National Domestic Abuse Helpline.”

Harleen’s parents, Ravinder Singh and Narinder Kaur Kohli, and her brother, Ekam Singh Kohli said: “We would like to thank the judge and the Crown Prosecution Service for convicting and sentencing Satpreet Singh Gandhi for the murder of his wife.

“We are extremely grateful to West Yorkshire Police for their hard work and dedication in finding Harleen’s body so quickly and in gathering enough evidence that Satpreet Singh Gandhi could be charged speedily.

“It has been a terrible time for the family, and we would like to praise our police family liaison officers for their kindness and understanding and for keeping us informed of developments in the case in such a timely manner. They have been very supportive throughout this whole ordeal.

“We would also like to express our thanks for the support, help, and aid we have had from Ramgarhia Board Gurdwara Leeds, and the owner and staff from Harleen’s workplace, and some of her friends.”