A man who claimed he accidentally cut his wife’s throat with a carving knife has been given a life sentence after being convicted of her murder last month.
Regin Rajan used his Tesco Clubcard and brought a bag for life to Tesco in Wilton in Cork on July 12th, 2023, when he purchased the weapon he used to murder Deepa Dinamani.
Jurors at Central Criminal Court trial in Cork were shown CCTV of him buying the knife and a bottle of Jameson whiskey, some of which he drank after he killed Ms Dinamani.
At a sentencing hearing, Ms Justice Siobhán Lankford said Rajan (43) committed murder because he could not accept that his wife wanted a divorce.
The trial heard the couple had been living under the same roof but sleeping in separate bedrooms and Ms Dinamani had made it clear their relationship was over.
Ms Justice Lankford said Ms Dinamani was clearly an “excellent person” who had much to offer in life. She said Rajan, by contrast, “displayed no empathy for his wife.”
The judge said Rajan seemed to “feel sorry for himself” rather than showing remorse when he gave his direct evidence which consisted of a “tissue of lies”.
Following the murder on July 14th, 2023, the judge said Rajan fabricated stories in an attempt to “besmirch the good name” of his late wife, who she stressed was an “exemplary mother, daughter, sister and friend”.
The trial had heard that Ms Dinamani sustained a 14cm knife wound that ran from her ear lobe to the middle of her neck when she was attacked by Rajan at their home in Cardinal Court, Wilton.
Rajan had claimed that his wife had picked up a knife in a bedroom in their home and told him to get out. He claimed there was a “tussle” and “her throat got cut”.
He told the trial he never meant to harm Ms Dinamani in any way, “not even to give her a slap”.
Ullas Dinamani, the deceased woman’s only sibling, delivered his victim impact statement via video link from India. He said his wonderful sister was taken from her family in the most horrific manner imaginable.
“My sister was not just a sibling to me – she was my confidante, my closest friend and the heart of our family. We were incredibly close,” he said. “We shared everything – our hopes, our fears, our joys. Her presence brought happiness to our home and her absence has left an unbearable void that we are still struggling to live with every single day.”
Mr Dinamani said their father, “once a pillar of strength to us, one of the toughest men I have ever seen, now sits in silence, broken by the loss” of his daughter.
“He doesn’t speak much these days, but his face reveals the pain he is in,” he added.
Mr Dinamani said Ms Dinamani’s young son, who now lives with the family in India, was “adored” by his mother and shared a “deep loving bond with her”.
“No child should ever have to experience such trauma, to lose their mother in such a cruel way in the early stages of his life. He misses her. He sometimes asks questions which are not easy to answer. He is very fond of me and my parents, we try to give him love, support and a sense of normalcy, but we know nothing can ever replace the love of his mother.”
Det Sgt Michelle O’Leary told the sentencing hearing that Ms Dinamani was a wonderful person who provided for her family in India.
She stated that Rajan carried out the deliberate murder without any “hesitation.”
