An "obsessed" former Southampton student murdered his ex-girlfriend after she realised he had stolen money from her, a jury at the Old Bailey has been told.
Deepak Sandhu, 24, is accused of killing 39-year-old Xiaoqing Ke in a "ferocious" knife attack at her Air BnB flat in Earls Court, London. Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC stated that Mr Sandhu, of Newlands Road, Southampton, and Ms Ke, from China, met in early 2025 when she was working at a brothel.
The court heard that their relationship broke down after Ms Ke discovered Mr Sandhu, a former Southampton Solent student, had been stealing from her. He admitted taking £500 from her handbag.
Ms Carberry told the jury that Mr Sandhu pestered Ms Ke with calls and texts, eventually arranging to see her in December 2025. He had reportedly bought a set of knives from a supermarket in Southampton and was seen arriving at her flat on Old Brompton Road.
The prosecutor stated that by the time Mr Sandhu left the flat 90 minutes later, Ms Ke was dead. Neighbours raised the alarm the following morning after spotting bloodstains, and Ms Ke's body was found on her bedroom floor by police officers. Mr Sandhu was later arrested on a coach heading for Birmingham airport.