A Southall man was today, Tuesday 16 March sentenced to life imprisonment after being found guilty at the Old Bailey of the murder of Gemma Dorman, in Battersea.Vikramjit Singh, 27, unemployed of Ruskin Road, Southall, killed Gemma 24, in 2008. He has been ordered to serve a minimum of 20 years.
During the trial the court heard how on the evening of Thursday 31 July 2008, Gemma and her fiancé went out for the evening in Lavender Hill SW11. They went to a venue called the Lazy Bar and sat on the pavement terrace outside. Having spent some time at this bar they then left and went to a restaurant called the Amazing Thai, which was on the opposite side of the road.
At about 21:00hrs Gemma left the restaurant to go to a nearby cash point whilst her fiancé waited for her inside. She had not been gone long and was returning along Lavender Hill when she was confronted by a man at a bus stop less than 100 yards from the restaurant. An argument took place during which the man pulled a large knife from the rear of his trousers and stabbed Gemma a number of times. The man then dropped the knife and calmly walked away from the scene.
Various members of the public witnessed the offence and immediately went to the aid of Gemma and called an ambulance. She was taken to St Thomas' Hospital where she died at 22:20hrs
A Major Investigation Team based at Lewisham led the enquiry which revealed that Gemma had complained of being harassed by a man with whom she had had a brief relationship. This man, known to her as Ricky, was in fact Vikramjit Singh, and Gemma had ended the relationship in January 2008. Singh could not accept this and continually telephoned her, stating that he loved her and that he couldn't live without her. He also sent letters and gifts to her address.
As a result Gemma made a report of harassment to police in May 2008 but she was reluctant for police to contact Singh without her knowledge. Police tried contacting her regarding the need to make a statement in order to progress this matter further.
On 10 June 2008, Gemma's mother also made a report of harassment to police regarding Singh. She stated that her daughter's ex-partner had been sending her up to 30 text messages a day, begging her to speak with her daughter to try to get her to take him back. She stated that Singh was targeting her as her daughter had changed her 'phone number following the report to police outlined above.
As a result of this report police contacted Singh and an appointment was made for him to attend Wandsworth police station on 21 June 2008 to receive a warning for harassment. He failed to attend.
On 8 July 2008, Gemma's mother informed police that contact from Singh had ceased and that she no longer wanted any further police action.
On the morning of 31 July 2008, Gemma received a letter from Singh in which he said that he knew she had a new boyfriend and he wished her well. A further letter arrived on 1 June, the day after the murder, in which he again declared his love for Gemma.
Detectives quickly established from witnesses to the murder that Gemma knew her attacker and that it was likely to be Singh. Officers attended an address in Ruskin Road, Southall but he was not present. However, his housemate told officers that he had a large tattoo of the name 'Gemma' across his back and that this was his girlfriend.
Further enquiries led police to an address in Abbot Rd, Southall and on Sunday 3 August 2008 a search warrant was executed. Five men were present and one of them gave his name as 'Vicki'. Police asked him to remove his top and when he did a tattoo of 'Gemma' was seen on his back. He was immediately arrested on suspicion of murder and was subsequently charged on 4 August 2008.
Detective Inspector Mick Norman from the Homicide and Serious Crime Command said: "Vikramjit Singh became obsessed with Gemma to a point where he could not accept that she had moved on with her life.
"He barraged her with texts, phone calls, letters and gifts all the while knowing that she simply wanted him to leave her alone. He couldn't and he didn't and the end result was the absolute tragedy that saw Gemma lose her life. Her family and friends have to live with that loss every single day knowing that nothing can bring her back. I sincerely hope that today's conviction will bring some small comfort to them by seeing justice brought upon the man who has caused so much heartbreak."
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