Jilted lover found guilty of escort girl's murder

The jury decided, by 11 to one, to convict him of murder after deliberating the case for 13 hours and 15 minutes.

Sentencing, Judge Paul Worsley QC gave "infatuated" Singh life, with a minimum term of 20 years.

He said: "You carried with you a carving knife some 13 and a half inches long. It was, as you knew and intended, a deadly weapon.

"You stabbed your former girlfriend...with whom you were infactuated.

"She rejected you after being in a brief relationship with you. And you determined, I am satisfied, that if she would not be with you she would be with no one else."

The judge said the fact Singh carried a knife to the scene meant there was a high degree of premeditation and that Singh had a low IQ and there was evidence of a personality disorder.

"You stalked your former girlfriend, I am satisfied, from the evidence you gave to the jury that on many occasions you would wait outside her mother's home or outside the Revolution bar in Clapham, where you hoped she would be," Judge Worsley added.

"No doubt there were some words exchanged but I am satisfied that she did not taunt you as you said. I am satisfied that there was no degree of provocation.

"She was completely defenseless and you used that weapon, plunging it into her to the depth of the hilt."

He added: "Whatever problems Gemma had in her life she did not deserve to die at your hands as she did.

"She was only 24 she had her life ahead of her. For her family she was irreplacable."

In court, Singh claimed he lavished Miss Dorman with gifts including a Porsche, holidays and cash, totalling £260,000, but the judge rubbished those claims, saying Singh may have given some money but it would not be anywhere near that amount.

The 26-year-old loner stalked Miss Dorman, 24, before plunging the carving knife into her stomach on July 31, 2008, the court heard during the trial.

Before the killing, he bombarded her with text messages and letters and tattooed her name in large letters across his back.

Singh, of Ruskin Road in Southall, became obsessed with Miss Dorman while she was working for Vixens Escort Agency between July 2005 and June 2007.

The pair began a relationship, but Miss Dorman later broke it off, saying she never wanted to see him again.

After a barrage of love letters and text messages, Miss Dorman and mother reported him to the police for harassment.

In one letter he wrote: “I can’t do without you, I love you so much. Please try to understand my feelings.”

Miss Dorman was in the Amazing Thai restaurant with her new fiance the night she was killed, on July 31, 2008.

Witnesses said they saw Singh, who wanted to marry her himself, waiting nearby and attack her when she left the restaurant to get cash.

Giving evidence, he said he could not remember stabbing Miss Dorman, but went into a trance thinking of her having sex with another men.

Outside court, Detective Inspector Mick Norman from the Metropolitan Police's homicide and serious crime command, said: "Vikramjit Singh became obsessed with Gemma to a point where he could not accept that she had moved on with her life.

"He barraged her with texts, phone calls, letters and gifts all the while knowing that she simply wanted him to leave her alone.

"He couldn't and he didn't and the end result was the absolute tragedy that saw Gemma lose her life.

"Her family and friends have to live with that loss every single day knowing that nothing can bring her back.

"I sincerely hope that today's conviction will bring some small comfort to them by seeing justice brought upon the man who has caused so much heartbreak."

Tributes

Friends and family of Gemma Dorman have paid tribute to their “angel” on the website, Gonetoosoon.org.

The young woman was popular and well-known in the Clapham Junction area, with neighbours calling her a “lovely” girl.

Her cousin, Victoria, wrote: “I miss you more and more as time passes. I think about you still so much. I hope you are now at peace and smiling that beautiful smile of yours.

“I feel so cheated of my beautiful cousin. I have so much I want to tell you and I do often, I just hope you can hear me.”

Another post, written by a man claiming to be Miss Dorman’s ex-boyfriend, recalled how she helped him stay “out of trouble” and get his life together.

He wrote: “To say I am devastated would be an understatement. I don’t get this, what happened to my baby? There isn’t even anything I can do.

“Gemma, I loved you so much, you made me smile and cry at the same time.”

Miss Dorman’s childhood friend, Charlotte Bartolini, added: “God always takes the good ones too soon... heaven has gained an angel... my thoughts are with your mum, dad, brother and sister... sleep well you won’t be forgotten.”

Police Investigation

Vikramgit Singh was difficult to trace during his campaign of harassment because he was an illegal immigrant, police said this week.

Miss Dorman and her mother, Sandra Hatfield, reported him to police on May 27 and June 10 respectively, but no-one knew where he lived and he did not exist on official records.

The obsessed loner, who bombarded Miss Dorman with around 30 messages a day, was not on the electoral roll or benefit records.

Detective Inspector Mick Norman, the investigating officer from Wandsworth police, said: “The family had raised their concerns. They made a complaint of harassment, which was ongoing. But things escalated more quickly than anyone could have anticipated.”

He added: “At that point, no one knew where he lived. Efforts were being made to track him down by the local police, but unfortunately this happened prior to that.”

Singh was tracked down on August 2 in Abbotts Road, Southall, where he was identified because Miss Dorman’s name was tattooed on his back.

DI Norman said: “The blame lies with him. She could have been a waitress. He was fixated on her. If it hadn’t been her, it could have been someone else. Her background’s not relevant.”

He added: “The victims of this are Gemma Dorman and her family. Sandra Hatfield has lost her daughter in the most horrific circumstances and is still living with this loss. The fact that this matter has taken so long to come to trial has added to that pain.”

Background

To her family, Gemma Dorman was a loving daughter who earned her crust working night shifts at restaurants. In reality, she had signed herself up to a more lucrative career at Vixon's Escort Agency in London, working under the name of Sophia.

She met her future killer on a job in Southall. Vikramgit Singh had hired her out for his flatmate, but after a chat and a quick drink he claims the two began seeing each other as girlfriend and boyfriend.

Singh had a troubled life. Giving evidence in court last week, he told how he was repeatedly beaten by his father during his childhood in Punjab, India. His mother was mentally ill and would often fail to recognise people. At the age of 12, he slit his wrists.

When he was 16, Singh's mother paid an agent to take him the UK for a better life – but instead he was dumped along with 12 other boys in Moscow with no access to food.

He managed to walk and hitch-hike his way Southall in the summer of 2000, staying illegally with a cousin. He worked seven days a week, mainly as a loader for a wine merchant, J & J Wines, where he earned £400 per week, but he also had other jobs as a kitchen porter at a pub and a builder.

He led a Spartan life, moving into a shared room with another man and keeping his earnings in a suitcase under his bed. He never went out, and had never had sex before he met Miss Dorman.

That was in 2006, and he quickly became infatuated with her. It’s impossible to tell whether he was ever more than a client. According to him, he never paid her for her services – but he also claims to have showered her with £260,000 – plus £10,000 worth of gifts. The judge rubbished these claims during sentencing.

Singh told the court she proposed to him early in 2007 and promised to stop working as an escort. He said: “She told me we would marry next year. She told me, holy father, I accept Vicky as my husband.”

He said he gave her money for a house for them to live in, plus a Porsche, a holiday in Greece and breast enhancement surgery. He also bought her jewellery and two computers.

But, he claimed, Miss Dorman, who took medication for bipolar disorder, blew hot and cold. On one occasion, at the Hilton Hotel, they argued after it emerged she was carrying on her work as an escort.

Back at home, a man called him from Miss Dorman's number threatening to kill him, leading Mr Singh to slit his wrists and send photos of it to her.

In May 2008, when Singh had no money left, he received a text message reading, “Please leave me alone and stop texting my mum. It's over.” He said she claimed she was pregnant with another man's baby.

Devastated, Singh quit his job. During this period, he sent Miss Dorman love letters and texted her up to 30 times a day. He also claimed she left him voicemail messages on his phone of herself having sex with another man.

Desperate to speak to Miss Dorman, Singh went to her parents' flat in Clapham Junction on July 31. But he saw her emerge with her new fiance, who she had met in February while buying a property in Spain.

He followed the pair to the Lazy Bar in Lavender Hill, where he saw them kiss. At that point, he told the court, he decided to let her go but demanded half of his money back.

They moved to the Amazing Thai restaurant, where witnesses heard Miss Dorman talking loudly on her phone. He waited in the Lazy Bar opposite until she popped out to the cashpoint. When she walked back up the hill, jealousy overcame him and he took out his knife.

After the killing, he sent abusive letters to Miss Dorman's mother, Sandra Hatfield, demanding his money back – even though she knew nothing of her daughter's secret life.

He wrote: “You’re selfish and use your daughter just for money. Now you’re too ashamed to come to court.”

No-one will ever know whether Singh’s account of their relationship is fact or fantasy. Speaking outside of court, DI Norman remarked: “It’s something he’s saying in court. It’s something he believes. The only other person who could have told us about it has been murdered.”