Kirandeep’s husband woke to the sound of her scream
A man accused of breaking into a Punjabi woman’s London home and fatally stabbing her as she slept beside her husband and three-month-old baby will stand trial in 2027.
Daniel Sean James is charged with murdering 24-year-old Kirandeep Kaur at her home on Uxbridge Road in Hayes in the early hours of July 12, 2026.
James is accused of entering the property and attacking Kaur while her husband and baby were beside her in bed. He remains in custody ahead of his trial.
According to evidence heard at the Old Bailey, James was captured on CCTV and doorbell cameras walking through a playing field in Hayes before approaching three different addresses.
He then allegedly stabbed a man in his 20s in the back.
Minutes later, at around 7:51 am, James allegedly kicked at the door of Kirandeep’s home on Uxbridge Road before forcing his way inside while the family slept.
The court heard that Kirandeep’s husband woke to the sound of her scream and saw a figure leaving the bedroom.
James allegedly left the property around two minutes later by jumping from a kitchen-living room window.
After breaking both ankles in the fall, he is said to have attempted to flee before collapsing around 10 metres away.
James was due to appear at Isleworth Crown Court on October 19 but was not present. His trial is scheduled to begin on April 12, 2027.
According to his barrister Jonathan Higgs KC, James now uses a wheelchair.
However, prosecutor Mukul Chawla KC said the defendant was “fully ambulatory” up until the time of the alleged offence.
Kirandeep Kaur was originally from Punjab, India, and had moved to London in 2024 on a student visa.
Shortly after her death, her family said they “never thought such a thing could happen to her in London”.
Speaking to ITV News, her 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.”
Her brother, Gurvinder Singh, added:
“We were shocked, we don’t understand what we can do.”
At the time, the family urged the authorities to investigate the possibility of a racially motivated attack.
