"I’m not used to losing something that belongs to me."
A British soldier has been jailed for 22 years for slitting his girlfriend’s throat and murdering her.
The court heard how 26-year-old Trimaan Dhillon, originally born in India, attacked Alice Ruggles by slitting her throat six times on 12th October 2016.
The murder took place in her flat in Tyne and Wear. The victim’s flatmate made a 999 call after finding her “blue” and covered in blood.
The trail took place at Newcastle Crown Court, with the verdict read out on 26th April 2017.
Police discovered that Alice Ruggles also suffered a wound on the nose and chest injuries.
The court heard how the British soldier broke into Ruggles’ flat and made his attack as she showered. He also reportedly took photos of her back garden two days before the murder.
Police arrested Dhillon in his Scottish barracks. He reportedly had scratches on his face, neck and chest during the arrest. Dhillon, however, denied the charge of murder against him.
The two entered into a relationship after they met online. However, despite Dhillon’s obsessive behaviour, he supposedly cheated on her throughout their relationship. They soon broke up, but Dhillon increased his harassing behaviour.
The court heard how he had sabotaged Ruggles’ next relationship and prosecutors even claimed he had hacked into her social media accounts.
Prior to the fatal attack, Dhillon had arrived on Ruggles’ doorstep and left chocolates and flowers. This happened on 29th September 2017 and caused his victim to become “frozen in fear, she didn’t know what to do. It got to the point Alice was scared of even being in her own home.”
Dhillon also sent worrying messages to her. The victim’s friend claimed the messages revealed a controlling side to him. One said: “I’m not used to losing something that belongs to me.”
He also spoke about marriage and supposedly told her:
“I’m going to make you my wife and you are going to have to deal with me for the rest of your life.”
However, she decided to call police about his behaviour. Yet he ignored police warnings. When Ruggles complained again, police asked if she wanted to provide a statement. But she turned the statement down.
A friend claimed she felt concerned about the army. She revealed: “She said the army would protect him and give him lawyers and get him off anything.”
During the trial, Ruggles’ flatmate also described the effects of Dhillon’s behaviour and its toll on his victim. She said:
“It ruined Alice. She became [an] introvert, visibly shaking, anxiety, skinny, she lost a lot of weight, she was pale, she was not as outgoing as she used to be.”
The British soldier claimed that while he was at the flat when Ruggles died, he acted in self-defence. When the verdict was read in the courtroom, he reportedly showed no emotion.
With the trial now over, Alice Ruggles’ family finally have justice with Dhillon’s sentence.
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