Rekha Kumari-Baker | |
|---|---|
| Born | Rekha Kumari 1967 or 1968 (age 57–58)[1] |
| Occupation | Waitress |
| Criminal status | Murder |
| Spouse | David Baker (former) |
| Children | Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker |
| Motive | Revenge against ex-partner |
| Conviction | Murder |
| Criminal charge | Murder |
| Penalty | Life imprisonment (minimum tariff 33 years) |
| Details | |
| Victims | Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker |
| Date | 13 June 2007 |
| Locations | Stretham,Cambridgeshire,England |
| Weapon | Knives |
Davina andJasmine Kumari-Baker weremurdered by their mother who stabbed them to death at their home inStretham,Cambridgeshire,England, while they slept on 13 June 2007.[2]Rekha Kumari-Baker was sentenced tolife imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 33 years.[1][3] In 2010 theBBC stated that the punishment was "one of the longest jail terms given to a woman in the UK in modern times."[4]
On the day of the murders, Rekha Kumari-Baker took her two daughters on a shopping trip to the Lakeside Centre, nearThurrock, Essex.[5]
The older daughter Davina, aged 16, was killed first, with Kumari-Baker stabbing her 39 times. The younger daughter Jasmine, aged 13, was found dead in her bed stabbed 29 times.[6] After the murder, Kumari-Baker called a friend of hers, who was aspecial constable, and admitted that she had murdered her children and said that she had "done something terrible".[5]
The prosecutor stated that Rekha Kumari-Baker killed the girls as a form of revenge against her ex-husband and father of the girls, David Baker.[7] Kumari-Baker had purchased kitchen knives, the murder weapons, fromASDA on 11 June.[2]
Judge Mr Justice Bean said that Rekha Kumari-Baker desired to "retaliate against David Baker and destroy the happiness in his life", but also said that her motive could not be fully determined by investigators.[8] He said that her defense was "flimsy and insubstantial".[9] The jury took 35 minutes to convict her.[10]
Cambridgeshire County Council conducted a review into the murders and found they could not have been prevented and listed recommendations for social workers in relation to the review.[4]
Cases of filicide attributed to revenge against an ex-spouse:
