An Indian-origin pharmacist in the UK who strangled his wife and staged it as a burglary attack has been jailed for 30 years.
Over the , the Teesside Crown Court heard Patel had strangled his wife Jessica Patel, staged it as a burglary to claim the £2m life insurance payout and move to Australia with his lover.
The jury also heard Patel planned to raise a child conceived by Mrs Patel through IVF after moving in with his partner in Australia.
On Wednesday, Patel was sentenced to life and told he would serve a minimum of 30 years.
Source: Public Domain
The Judge pronounced him as ‘needy and callous’ while using his wife to indulge in his ‘own desires and whims’.
While sentencing Patel, Mr Justice James Goss , "The difficulty is that you had no sexual attraction to her; you were attracted to men."
"You have no remorse for your actions. Any pity you have is for yourself."
He told the defendant that Mrs Patel "clearly loved you and was a dutiful wife" of nine years, adding, "She wanted nothing more than to have children and live a normal family life.”
The jury heard the couple met while studying pharmacy together in Manchester. After their marriage, they lived in the British city of Middlesborough and ran a pharmacy together.
Mitesh Patel (left) and Jessica Patel (right) Source: Facebook
When Jessica was found dead in their home in May this year, Mitesh claimed he had returned home to find the house burgled.
Detectives provided footage to the court which showed Mitesh leaving the house after the murder and visiting a pizza shop nearby. He then returned home and called the police claiming that a burglary had taken place.
The prosecution case showed that Mitesh was in the house when the murder took place.
Officers were able to show, using a health app from Mitesh's phone, the exact time when they believe that he went upstairs to hide CCTV evidence. This footage was found in the house by police after the murder.
After the verdict, Senior Investigating Officer Detective Chief Inspector Matt Murphy-King of Cleveland Police : "Jessica Patel was a wonderful daughter, sister and friend, loved and respected by many, who tragically had her life cut short by the man who should have been there to love, cherish and protect her.
The scene inside the house Source: Cleveland Police
“During the course of the murder investigation, significant evidence emerged which proved Mitesh Patel had researched and planned Jess’s death for a number of years, which culminated in Jess’s murder on 14th May of this year.
“This conviction reflects the enormity of Mitesh Patel’s crime, who for his own devious reasons, which included pre-planning the murder for financial gain to the tune of two million pounds, took Jessica’s life," he said.
