LONDON MAN JAILED FOR LIFE FOR BRUTAL MURDER OF SINGLE MOTHER
A man who murdered a woman he met on a dating website has been sentenced to life imprisonment.Miles Donnelly, aged 35 from Paddington, pleaded guilty to killing Usha Patel, aged 44, at her home in Cricklewood in October 2015.
The court heard that Donnelly strangled Ms Patel, a single mother, after a violent attack in her flat.
Ms Patel was found on her sofa the following morning by her father, who was visiting to take her five-year-old son to school.
The child told his grandfather, "Mummy's not well." The murder involved multiple brutal assaults, including stabbing her 13 times with a bread knife, punching her in the head multiple times, and strangulation.
Donnelly also assaulted another woman shortly after the murder when she refused his advances, hiding in a west London house for 36 hours and making unwelcome advances towards Rosie Ferrigno.
During sentencing at the Old Bailey, Judge Rebecca Poulet QC described the attack as "particularly ferocious and violent" and warned the public about the risks of meeting strangers online.
Donnelly was ordered to serve a minimum of 23 years for the murder.
Additionally, he received an 18-month concurrent sentence for the assault on Ms Ferrigno.
Court reports reveal Donnelly's history of alcohol, drug use, and violent behavior, and he was identified as a significant danger to women.
The case stands as a stark warning about the dangers of limited internet contact and inviting strangers into one’s home.
