Man jailed after double killing

The judge accepted Sukhdev Singh was normally a peaceful man

A 27-year-old man has been jailed for five-and-a-half years after being convicted of beating two men to death in a flat above a Shropshire chip shop.

Sukhdev Singh, of Shawbury, was cleared of murder but convicted of manslaughter at Stafford Crown Court last month.

Singh denied murdering Jaswant Singh Bajwa, 30, and Kulwant Singh Dodar, 31, but admitted killing the pair, who were found in a flat in Shawbury in 2007.

Judge Simon Tonking said he accepted Singh was severely provoked.

'Significant attempt'

Singh, from Drayton Road, Shawbury, had said the pair had sexually assaulted him.

He told police he had "lost his temper" and hit them with a hammer, the court had been told.

The judge said he accepted the view of three psychiatrists that Singh had been severely provoked and was normally a peaceful and quiet man who presented no risk to society.

As a result he said he was imposing a sentence of the least possible severity taking into account Singh's previous good character.

He said he accepted Singh was guilty of manslaughter on the grounds of provocation and diminished responsibility.

Speaking afterwards, Det Ch Insp Dave Morgan, the chief investigating officer in the case, said the defendant was on the run for five days.

Det Ch Insp Morgan said: "He had made a significant attempt to clean any forensic evidence at the flat, which obviously impacts on the ability of people to interpret it."