A 24-year-old British Sikh woman, Kirandeep Kaur, was stabbed to death at a property in Hayes, west London, and a man in his 20s was left injured in the same incident.
The Metropolitan Police said officers, accompanied by the London Ambulance Service, responded to the property on Uxbridge Road on Sunday, where Kaur was found with stab injuries. She was pronounced dead at the scene despite efforts by emergency responders, news agency PTI reported.
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The injured man was discovered outside the property with stab wounds. Police said he is receiving treatment in hospital and his injuries are not believed to be life-threatening.
Man charged with murder and attempted murder
A 44-year-old man, Daniel Sean James, was held and charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a bladed article, according to the Metropolitan Police.
Reportedly, officers quickly located James nearby after identifying him as matching the suspect’s description. He was arrested and taken to hospital with injuries believed to have been sustained after he jumped from a window.
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James appeared before Willesden Magistrates’ Court on Tuesday.
Police say no wider threat to public
Detective Chief Inspector Allam Bhangoo described the incident as a tragic loss of life and said investigators are continuing to establish the circumstances surrounding the attack.
“This is a shocking incident which has tragically resulted in one woman losing her life and another man in hospital with injuries,” Detective Chief Inspector Allam Bhangoo was quoted as saying by news agency PTI.
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“Our thoughts at this time are with both victims and their loved ones, who are being supported by specialist officers. Our enquiries are in the early stages but we do not believe there to be any wider threat to the public,” he said.
Bhangoo also appealed for witnesses or anyone with information to come forward.
Police said Kaur’s next of kin have been informed and are being supported by specialist officers.
Following the incident, some groups have expressed concern that the stabbing may have been an anti-Sikh hate crime. The concerns come weeks after the conviction of British Sikh man Vickrum Digwa for the fatal stabbing of 18-year-old Henry Nowak in south-east England in May.
Digwa, 23, was sentenced to life imprisonment after a trial in which he attempted a religious defence for carrying the murder weapon.
Meanwhile, the Sikh Network is due to present the findings of a “spot survey” in Parliament on Wednesday, claiming that 40 per cent of respondents had experienced or witnessed anti-Sikh hate crimes since the conclusion of that trial.
(With PTI inputs)
