Husband who bludgeoned his wife to death with ornamental elephant after she asked for a divorce is jailed for 16 years

Devendra Singh, (left)  battered  Charlotte Smith (right)

A spurned husband was today sentenced to serve at least 16 years in prison for bludgeoning his wife to death with an ornamental elephant.

Devendra Singh, 33, battered Charlotte Smith, 42, with the 4lb wooden object after she asked for a divorce.

He was convicted of her murder yesterday and was today handed a life sentence and told he must serve 16 years before he will be eligible for parole.

Singh hit his wife 'with extreme force and extreme violence' following the row at their home on September 3, last year, Stafford Crown Court had heard. 

Miss Smith’s skull was repeatedly ‘smashed and shattered’ at their home in Ladderedge, near Leek in Staffordshire. 

Speaking after the sentencing the victim's parents, Irene Cork and Peter Smith, said: 'We would like to thank our family, all friends and neighbours for their continued support over the last nine months.

'We would also sincerely like to thank everyone concerned on this case for their hard work, kindness and consideration shown to us.

'We wanted justice for Charlie and for the perpetrator of this crime the loss of his freedom for the rest of his life. No matter what length of sentence is served to him nothing will compensate for our loss. 

'Some years from now he will leave prison and be free to join his family and continue with his life. For Charlie there is nothing, she has been tragically denied her future life.

'We are completely devastated and there are no words to describe the pain and emptiness we feel and how much we love and miss her.'

Detective Inspector Glyn Pattinson, who led the inquiry for Staffordshire Police, added: 'Our investigation has uncovered that since Singh moved to England to live with Charlotte, after an initial period of being happy newlyweds, there began a deterioration in the couple's marriage.

'Although there was nothing to indicate that the relationship would come to such a tragic and violent conclusion, there is no doubt that Singh's attack was brutal and sustained.'

Prosecutor Sarah Cameron said today: 'Charlotte Smith died as a result of the most brutal and cruellest act of domestic violence.

'She wanted to end her two-year marriage with Devendra Singh, but he was unable to accept this. He became violent and struck her with force described by the pathologist as being off the scale in its ferocity.'

Singh had denied murder on the basis he ‘lost control’ but was found guilty on Monday after a five-day trial.

During the trial, senior pathologist Olaf Biedrzycki, who examined the body of the health and safety manager, said her injuries were among the worst he had ever seen during his 20-year career.

He told the court: 'The degree of force used to inflict the injuries is of an extreme nature. I would consider it beyond the scale we would normally see of mild, moderate and severe.

'It is one of the most severe head injury cases I have come across. This is not one or two impacts to the head. It is difficult to be sure how many, but if I had to estimate I suspect it would be double figures.'

Following the verdict yesterday, Staffordshire Police said the force's Major Investigations Department discovered that following Ms Smith's death Singh spent two nights 'drinking heavily'. 

After visiting a friend, he handed himself into police on September 6. 

The court had heard that Ms Smith had become unhappy with their relationship and asked for a divorce. 

Philip Bennetts QC, prosecuting, said: 'Miss Smith died as a result of sustained and extreme blunt force trauma.

'Many of the blows were delivered with a heavy implement - an ornamental elephant which the defendant picked up and used to strike her repeatedly to the face and head.

'Bone was smashed and shattered time and time again. The amount of force used was effectively off the scale. It was beyond severe - it was extreme.'

Following the attack, Singh left his wife's body on the lounge floor and left the house, taking her mobile phone SIM card with him.

The court heard he cleaned up and threw evidence - including the wooden elephant - over the garden fence into a field before fleeing to London.

He is then said to have put Miss Smith’s SIM into his own phone and sent text messages to her family and friends - including her father - pretending to be her.

Singh returned to Leek that same day and handed himself in to police.

Giving evidence Miss Smith's father Peter, 65, recalled how the couple had lunch at his home on September 2 - just a day before Charlotte was killed.

He told the court that he ‘got on well’ with Singh during his four-year relationship with his daughter, who worked as a health and safety environmental manager.

Mr Smith told the court: 'We had a really great time. We were talking about holidays and parties.

'When they left everything was OK. We were planning to go on holiday to Goa in November.'

Miss Smith’s dead body was discovered at her home address on September 6 last year.

Culled from DAILY MAIL