"Sandhu had become fixated on Xiaoqing"
An Indian migrant who murdered a 39-year-old woman after she rejected him has been jailed for life, to serve a minimum of 28 years.
Deepak Sandhu stabbed sex worker Xiaoqing Ke to death at her Airbnb bedsit in Earl’s Court, west London, on December 10, 2025, after she confronted him over £500 he had stolen from her.
Sandhu had arrived in the UK on a student visa in September 2024, but his sponsorship was revoked six months later after he dropped out of Southampton Solent University.
Despite losing his sponsorship, he remained in the country and killed Ms Ke.
The Old Bailey heard that the 24-year-old had become obsessed with Ms Ke after she ended their relationship, sending her controlling and abusive messages before travelling to London armed with a knife.
A jury found him guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice after he attempted to flee the country, rejecting his claims that he was not responsible for her death.
A Web of Lies
Sandhu and Ms Ke first met in March 2025 while she was working in a brothel in Southampton.
Sandhu, who speaks Punjabi, was a customer of Ms Ke, who spoke Mandarin, and the pair developed a secret relationship, communicating through a translation app.
However, their relationship deteriorated after Ms Ke discovered Sandhu had stolen £500 from her handbag.
The court heard that he had constructed an elaborate web of lies, claiming his sister lived in Southampton when she was actually in India and presenting himself as a model and actor who travelled to the US for auditions.
He also falsely claimed to have attended his graduation ceremony at Southampton Solent University, despite having been removed from his course months earlier because of poor attendance.
Sandhu also told Ms Ke that he had been robbed of £3,500 at gunpoint in the US and had secured a bank job paying £6,000 a month, neither of which was true.
Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC described Sandhu as a “fantasist” who had become an “obsessed, manipulative young man” unable to accept Ms Ke’s rejection.
By the time of her death, Ms Ke had recognised his behaviour and demanded that he repay the money. She told him: “Don’t come see me. I’m clear, I’m not a fool.”
Sandhu later told her former brothel boss that she “will regret what she has done”.
In WhatsApp messages, he also expressed his anger to an associate, asking:
“Do you think I have to take my revenge on her?”
Despite his threats, Sandhu continued pleading with Ms Ke to give him another chance. He claimed he had the money he owed her and could help secure her British citizenship through a contact.
Having “pestered” Ms Ke and promised to return her money, Sandhu travelled from Southampton to London on December 9, 2025, armed with a knife.
Doorbell camera footage captured Sandhu arriving with his face covered and wearing a cap. He left approximately 90 minutes later.
Ms Ke was discovered face down on the bedroom floor on December 10, having suffered catastrophic injuries, including a fatal deep stab wound to the neck.
Sandhu later admitted taking the money and lying about being an actor, telling the court that he had struggled to survive on construction work and financial support from family members.
He said he had been feeling “desperate” before travelling to London and was worried Ms Ke would demand repayment, but denied acting out of “revenge”.
Sandhu claimed that, after arriving at the property, Ms Ke had told him to wait in a laundry room while she attended to a “customer”. He said he heard an argument and later saw blood in the flat but did not witness the killing.
Sandhu insisted that Ms Ke was alive when he left and denied being responsible for her death.
He admitted to jurors that he was a “pathological liar”, but maintained:
“Killing is not something I am capable of. I did no such thing.”
However, he was stopped while travelling on a National Express coach from Southampton to Birmingham Airport on December 12, 2025.
He was wearing the same blood-stained jacket seen in CCTV footage from the crime. Following the killing, he had phoned his sister in India and booked a flight from Birmingham to Mumbai.
The jury deliberated for two hours before finding Sandhu guilty of murder and perverting the course of justice.
A Calculated Murder
Detective Chief Inspector Wayne Jolley, who led the investigation, said: “Xiaoqing’s family have been through an unimaginably painful time, and our thoughts remain with them.
“Our team uncovered vital evidence which showed Sandhu had become fixated on Xiaoqing and had subjected her to a tirade of controlling and abusive messages before ultimately deciding to end her life.
“Xiaoqing should never have had to endure what happened to her either in the months before her death or in the final moments of her life.”
“Tackling violence against women and girls remains one of our key priorities, and we will do everything to identify those who carry out these offences and bring them to justice.”
Shikha Varma, of the Crown Prosecution Service, said:
“Xiaoqing Ke saw through Deepak Sandhu’s many lies and, when she rejected him and ended their relationship, he reacted by taking her life in a calculated and brutal attack.
“The CPS remains committed to ensuring perpetrators like Sandhu, who commit such horrific violence against women and girls, are robustly prosecuted and face the full force of the law.
“Despite his repeated denials and efforts to evade justice, prosecutors were able to unravel his lies and present extensive evidence to the court of his anger towards Ms Ke and his presence at the scene, and the jury found him guilty of murder.
“Our thoughts remain with Ms Ke’s family and friends at this incredibly difficult time.
“We hope his conviction and sentence bring them some measure of justice.”
