A man has been charged with murder after Kirandeep Kaur, a 27-year-old Indian woman, was allegedly stabbed to death while sleeping in bed with her husband and three-month-old baby at her home in Hayes, west London, on the morning of 12 July. Kaur had reportedly been living in the UK since 2024 on a student visa. She suffered a stab wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at 8.26am.
Family's Plea for Justice and Repatriation
Speaking from India to ITV News, Kaur's mother, Baljeet, said: "We send them somewhere safe to study, then this happens. We didn't realise hooliganism and violence is happening there too. We want justice. We want our daughter's body returned from Hayes." Kaur's brother Gurvinder Singh expressed shock, noting the family learned of her death only on Friday. "We were shocked. We don't understand what we can do," he said, adding that the family has no one to bring her body back to their village in Punjab.
A GoFundMe page set up by the Sri Guru Singh Sabha Southall gurdwara has raised more than £55,000 as of Monday morning to cover funeral arrangements, repatriation of Kaur's body to India, and support for her family.
Details of the Attack and Legal Proceedings
On 16 July, prosecutors accused Daniel Sean James, 46, of breaking into the family home and stabbing Kaur to death. The Old Bailey heard allegations that James had also stabbed a man in his 20s in the back on a nearby street shortly before the attack and that he was a complete stranger to both victims. James, from Pinner in north-west London, allegedly left the Kaurs' home by jumping out of a window from the kitchen-living-room area two minutes later. He broke both ankles and attempted to flee but collapsed after 10 metres, the court heard.
James has been charged with Kaur's murder, attempted murder, and possessing a blade. Judge Lickley set a plea hearing for 1 October and a provisional three-week trial starting 5 April next year.
