Kerala man sentenced to life for murdering wife, 2 kids in UK

A 52-year-old man from Kerala, who admitted to killing his Indian wife and two children last year, has been sentenced to life, involving a minimum of 40 years in prison, by a UK court.

Saju Chelavalel, who was sentenced at the Northampton Crown Court on Monday, had pleaded guilty to three counts of murder of his wife Anju Asok, 35, a staff nurse at Kettering General Hospital, and her two children Jeeva and Janvi Saju, aged six and four.. The three died on December 15, 2022, when emergency services were called to Petherton Court to reports that they had suffered serious injuries.

Referring to an audio recording taken at the time of Anju's death, which was played to the court at sentencing, Justice Edward Pepperall said: “While you were squeezing the life out of your wife, your children can be heard crying in the background for their mummy. It is clear that they heard what was going on and knew that she was being hurt by you.”

The Northamptonshire Police told the court that after reaching Petherton Court, they broke the door down in order to gain entry and found Saju Chelavalel holding a knife.

Despite repeated requests for him to put the knife down, he continued to wield it whilst shouting “You shoot me”, resulting in him being Tasered.

The attending officers went on to find the bodies of Anju Asok, aged 35, and her two children - Jeeva Saju, aged 6, and Janvi Saju, aged 4.

After attempts to revive Anju, she was declared dead at the scene and sadly, both children were also declared dead a short time later.

Forensic post-mortem examinations which took place at Leicester Royal Infirmary following their deaths, concluded that all three died as a result of asphyxiation.

Senior Investigating Officer, Detective Inspector Simon Barnes said: “Anju was a mother like many all over the world. She wanted to provide the best possible life she could for her children - Jeeva and Janvi.

During the sentencing hearing, the court heard from the family spokesperson who said: “The life of Anju's parents and siblings back in India will never be the same without her. She came to this country with a lot of expectations and dreams. She was not expecting a tragic death from her husband, whom she trusted.

Saju, along with his children, had joined his wife in the UK last year. A driver by profession, he was frustrated after failing to get a job, IANS reported earlier. The couple used to quarrel over financial issues which took a turn for the worse last year, and ended in him killing the three.