Former student guilty of revenge murder of woman in London

Summarised from 2 outlets · Updated 15 Oct, 17:33 · Archive

Deepak Sandhu, 24, has been found guilty of murdering Xiaoqing Ke, 39, in a revenge attack at an Airbnb in west London.

Deepak Sandhu, a 24-year-old former Southampton Solent University student, has been found guilty of murdering 39-year-old Xiaoqing Ke in a revenge attack at an Airbnb on Old Brompton Road in Earl's Court, west London, on 10 December 2025. Sandhu had travelled to London with knives bought from a supermarket. Ms Ke was found face down with a fatal stab wound to the neck.

Sandhu, originally from India, had entered the UK on a student visa in September 2024, but was thrown off his IT course at Southampton Solent University for poor attendance. His visa was revoked in March 2025. He met Ms Ke while she was working in a brothel in Southampton in early 2025. The pair began a relationship, communicating through a translation app, though Sandhu told her he was an actor and model and claimed he was attending an audition in the US. In reality he was working as a casual labourer on building sites.

The relationship deteriorated when Ms Ke discovered Sandhu had stolen £500 from her handbag. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC told the Old Bailey that the attack had 'all the hallmarks of a planned attack'. Carberry described how Sandhu had made 'increasingly desperate attempts to repair the damage his dishonesty had caused to the relationship', but also told Ms Ke's former boss of his anger and determination to take revenge, reportedly saying 'she will regret what she has done'.

Sandhu denied the killing and claimed he left Ms Ke alive. However, a jury found him guilty of both murder and perverting the course of justice.

How it is being reported

• Failed IT student guilty of revenge attack murderA jury at the Old Bailey heard Deepak Sandhu had become "obsessed" with his vicitm, Xiaoqing Ke.BBC Hampshire · 15 Oct, 16:27
• Former Southampton uni student guilty of 'brutal' revenge murderDeepak Sandhu, a former Solent University student has been found guilty of murdering a woman in a "brutal and fatal" revenge attack.Southern Daily Echo · 15 Oct, 14:59

In this story: Deepak Sandhu · Xiaoqing Ke · Southampton Solent University · Old Bailey · Earl's Court · Southampton

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