NRI woman guilty of murder by curry

London: A British court has convicted a woman of killing her former lover by poisoning his curry.

The Central Criminal Court found 45-year-old Lakhvir Singh guilty of murdering 39-year-old Lakhvinder Cheema and causing grievous bodily harm to his fiancée by mixing Indian aconite into their dinner in January 2009.

Cheema was dead within hours of eating the curry and his fiancée, 21-year-old Gurjeet Choongh, fell violently ill after eating a smaller portion.

CCTV footage obtained by Britain's Sky News showed Cheema and Choongh being carried out of their home on the night of the crime, and placed in a car.

Prosecutor Edward Brown said Singh poisoned Cheema and Choongh because she was jealous about the pair's impending marriage.
Choongh, who was in court for Wednesday's verdict announcement, thanked the police for their efforts in investigating the crime.

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"I would like to thank the police for their help and support throughout the investigation. And all the witnesses for attending court to give their evidence," she said through an interpreter.

Police later found traces of the poison - also known as wolfsbane and monkshood - among herbs in Singh's coat pocket and in her handbag.

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The toxin was used frequently in the past, according to Kew Gardens Professor, Monique Simmonds, but the root was normally used, which is the stronger toxin.

Simmonds said that once ingested the "chances of survival are not very good unless somebody reports it very quickly and they are able to empty the contents of your stomach."

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Choongh survived because she only ate a small portion of the poisoned curry, while Cheema who reportedly had a second helping of the dish died hours later.