Man guilty of murdering wife as she sought divorce

A man who strangled and stabbed his wife after she started divorce proceedings has been convicted of her murder.

Harminder Mattu attacked Paramjit Kaur at their home on Swan Crescent, Oldbury, at about 23:00 GMT on 30 March 2025.

He attended West Bromwich Police Station the following morning to report he had killed the 46-year-old, who was also known as Soni.

Mattu, 51, was charged with murder, which he denied, and faced trial. He is due to be sentenced on 2 April after a jury on Tuesday found him guilty.

He had tried to claim Kaur was drunk, and that she had hit him, telling West Midlands Police she was the one who had initially been armed with a knife, before managing to take it from her, an exchange in which she was stabbed.

But police said their investigation subsequently uncovered the real circumstances leading to his wife's death.

A postmortem examination showed she died as result of pressure on her neck, rather than stab injuries, which most likely occurred after she was unconscious, police said.

Kaur was in the process of leaving Mattu, having filed for divorce about two months earlier, citing the irretrievable breakdown of their marriage of 10 years.

Police said Mattu had previously slapped Kaur across the face, twisted her leg and broken her phone while drunk in December 2024, but she had not wanted to pursue criminal charges.

A further incident, unreported at the time but later shared with others, saw him grab her by the throat, causing her to briefly lose consciousness, police stated.

At the end of 2024, she had briefly moved from the marital home but temporarily returned after Mattu expressed suicidal feelings.

In tribute, her family said she was "a loving and active member of our family who cared for and looked out for us all".

Det Sgt Paul Parham said it appeared Mattu was trying to punish his wife for wanting to leave him.

"It wasn't self-defence, but the selfish actions of a man who didn't want his marriage to end," the officer said.

"Instead, he robbed Paramjit of the new future she was looking for. She tragically lost her life, and our thoughts remain with her loved ones."

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