Court: 'Husband admitted killing wife'

A police officer who arrested a former Ipswich journalist on suspicion of murder today told a court how Raymond Singh confessed to hacking his wife to death.

Giving evidence in the Fijian High Court, inspector Dharmend Chandra said Singh, 30, had killed his wife, Wendy, out of frustration.

The former East Anglian Daily Times sub-editor denies murder.

The couple had lived in Grove Lane, Ipswich, until starting a new life together on the paradise island in 2006.

Insp Chandra said when he and two other officers went to arrest Singh at his father's in Vatuwaqa, Singh admitted killing his wife while he was being taken to the police vehicle, reports Fijilive.com.

Insp Chandra told Justice Daniel Goundar: “While we were on our way to the police vehicle Raymond Singh uttered the words “it all happened out of frustration”. When I asked what happened out of frustration he said, “I killed my wife out of frustration'.

Singh's lawyer Haroon Ali Shah told the court that in a statement made by one of the corporal inspectors accompanying Chandra at the time of Singh's arrest, there was no mention of the inspector cautioning Singh of his rights to remain silent. Neither were there any such recorded statements by Singh.

Earlier in the trial the court heard that 36 bloody footprints found in the kitchen of the Singh's home belonged to Mr Singh after a row had spiralled out of control on May 11 last year.

The attack left Mrs Singh, a 39-year-old mother-of-four, with stab wounds in the chest, both sides of the neck, arms, face, nose and head.

The previous day the couple had differences over her decision to share her wealth with her son George, which led to Mr Singh and the 15-year-old being involved in a fight.

Mrs Singh also had a daughter Claire, now 18, from a previous relationship. The Singhs had two children of their own, Kaileb and Jahaan, now aged four and one respectively.

The trial continues.