Man sentenced for murdering his ex-wife in her Lillington home

A man who brutally murdered his ex-wife as she lay in bed in her Lillington home has been given a life sentence for the horrific killing.

And Jasbinder Gahir will be at least 86 years old before the Parole Board will even consider his release after a judge at Coventry Crown Court ordered him to serve a minimum of 28 years.

Judge Andrew Lockhart QC said that the murder of Balvinder Gahir (known as Bally), which Gahir (58) of Church View, Maidenhead, had denied, had been motivated by ‘naked greed and financial gain.’

Their youngest son, Rohan Gahir (23) of the same address, was jailed for three-and-a-half years after being cleared of being involved in the killing but found guilty of perverting the course of justice after driving his father from the scene.

During the trial prosecutor Philip Bradley QC told the jury: “On the evening of Sunday the 23rd of August Balvinder Gahir, known to her family and friends as Bally, went to bed.

“At 2.21 and 20 seconds the next morning CCTV captured a BMW parking within 100 metres of her home. That car was driven by her son Rohan Singh Gahir.

“Its front seat passenger was his father and Bally’s ex-husband Jasbinder Singh Gahir.”

Jasbinder left the car at just before 2.30 and returned eight minutes and 55 seconds later.

“Where did he go, and what did he do for just short of nine minutes?” said Mr Bradley.

“The prosecution case is that Jasbinder entered 278 Valley Road unannounced and walked upstairs to Bally’s bedroom.

“Once there he subjected her to a sustained and frenzied attack, repeatedly striking her head and body so that when the emergency services arrived she was in a pool of her own blood.

Gahir, an overbearing and manipulative man who posed as an airline pilot, used money from remortgaging their home in Valley Road, Lillington, to buy a flat in his sole name in Slough.

After he then left the family home Bally was in financial difficulty, and a judge ordered him to transfer his interest in Valley Road to her and to pay her £30,000 – which he failed to do.

What was to happen to the house in Valley Road became ‘a hot family topic,’ and pressure was put on Bally to sign an agreement for it to be sold and for Jasbinder to have a share of the proceeds – but she then changed her mind.

And Mr Bradley said it was the dispute over the property which was behind the brutal killing – after which Gahir was driven away by Rohan who then helped to cover up by burning clothing and a mat from the car.