WIFE KILLER DOCTOR JOHN BAKSH HAS BEEN JAILED FOR

WIFE KILLER DOCTOR JOHN BAKSH HAS BEEN JAILED FOR LIFE

WITH A RECOMMENDATION HE SERVE AT LEAST 20 YEARS.

THE JURY TOOK NEARLY TWO AND A HALF HOURS TO FIND HIM GUILTY

OF MURDERING HIS FIRST WIFE, RUBY, AND ATTEMPTING TO MURDER HIS

SECOND WIFE, MADHU.

BAKSH, 53, OF GLOUCESTER HOUSE, BICKLEY ROAD, BICKLEY, STOOD

WITH HIS HANDS CLASPED AS IF IN PRAYER AS THE RECORDER OF LONDON, SIR

JAMES MISKIN, QC, TOLD HIM HE WOULD ALWAYS BE A DANGER TO THOSE WHO

WERE CLOSE TO HIM.

THE DOCTOR WAS IN TEARS WHEN THE OLD BAILEY JURY FOREMAN

RETURNED VERDICTS OF GUILTY.

BAKSH WAS CONVICTED OF MURDERING RUBY, 47, IN JANUARY, 1983,

AND TRYING TO KILL MADHU, 43, THREE YEARS LATER.

THE JUDGE SAID: ‘I UNHESITATINGLY ORDER THAT YOU SERVE AT

LEAST 20 YEARS.

‘

HE ADDED THAT THE RECOMMENDATION SENTENCE WOULD HAVE

BEEN LONGER WERE IT NOT FOR THE DOCTOR’S AGE AND FORMERLY BLAMELESS

LIFE.

AND HE TOLD BAKSH: ‘YOU INTENTIONALLY KILLED YOUR FIRST

WIFE WHEN YOU KNEW SHE WAS BOTH UNWELL AND UTTERLY MISERABLE BECAUSE

OF HER SUSPICIONS – WHICH WERE WELL FOUNDED – THAT YOU WERE CARRYING

ON WITH MADHU.

‘

HE ADDED: ‘YOU KILLED HER SKILFULLY SO AS TO GRATIFY YOUR

LUST FOR MADHU.

IN DOING SO YOU DEPRIVED YOUR TWO RELATIVELY YOUNG

ADOPTED CHILDREN OF A MOTHER.

‘

SIR JAMES WENT ON: ‘NEARLY THREE YEARS LATER YOU INJECTED

MADHU AS YOU HAD RUBY.

THIS TIME IT WAS WITH A NEAR LETHAL DOSE OF

MORPHINE.

THEN YOU TOOK HER TO KESTON PONDS AND SLIT HER THROAT,

TRYING AS HARD AS YOU COULD TO MAKE IT LOOK AS IF SOME THIRD PARTY

HAD DONE IT.

‘

MADHU HAD BEEN SAVED BY THE ‘SHEER GOOD LUCK’ THAT A PASSING

NATURALIST FOUND HER DYING, SAID THE JUDGE.

‘BUT SHE WILL BEAR FOR

EVER THE HIDEOUS SCARS,’ HE ADDED.

AS BAKSH STOOD WITH HEAD BOWED THE JUDGE TOLD HIM:’I AM

SATISFIED THAT MADHU IN NO WAY PROVOKED THE MURDER BID.

BAKSH KNEW HE

STOOD TO GAIN FINANCIALLY, SAID SIR JAMES.

THE FACT THAT THE DOCTOR HAD BEEN DRINKING ON THE NIGHT HE

SLIT MADHU’S THROAT IN NO WAY EXCUSED HIS CONDUCT, THE JUDGE

CONTINUED.

‘YOU TOLD A TISSUE OF LIES AFTERWARDS AND CONTINUED TO LIE

IN THIS COURT.

‘

THE JUDGE PASSED A SENTENCE OF FOURTEEN YEARS FOR THE

ATTEMPTED MURDER.

HE DESCRIBED IT AS COMING ‘CLOSE TO THE TOP OF THE SCALE,’

OF ITS KIND OF OFFENCE.

CONSIDERING WHETHER A RECOMMENDATION ORDER SHOULD BE MADE

SIR JAMES SAID: ‘IT IS ARGUED YOU ARE NOT A DANGER TO THE PUBLIC.

BUT

DANGER COMES INTO TWO CATEGORIES – TO THE PUBLIC AT LARGE AND TO

THOSE CLOSE TO YOU.

‘I HAVE TO RECALL IN THAT CONTEXT THAT NO ONLY DID YOU

SKILLFULLY KILL RUBY, BUT THEN YOU TRIED THREE YEARS LATER TO KILL

MADHU.

YOU ARE DEMONSTRABLY A DANGER TO THOSE CLOSE TO YOU.

‘

IN MITIGATION MR ROBIN SIMPSON, QC, DEFENDING, HAD URGED THE

JUDGE NOT TO MAKE A RECOMMENDATION ORDER.

HE SAID THAT EVEN WITH A

STRAIGHT LIFE SENTENCE BAKSH WOULD BE AN OLD MAN BEFORE HE COULD BE

RELEASED FROM JAIL.

DOCTOR MADHU BAKSH, 43, WHO MIRACULOUSLY SURVIVED HER

HUSBAND’S ATTACK, SAID AFTER THE JURY’S VERDICT: ‘THE MEMORY OF THESE

EVENTS MAY FADE – BUT LIKE THE MARK ON MY NECK, I WILL CARRY THE

SCARS FOREVER.

‘

IN A WRITTEN STATEMENT SHE SAID: ‘I HAVE ALREADY GIVEN

EVIDENCE IN COURT AS TO THE DREADFUL EVENTS OF JANUARY 4, 1986, WHICH

WAS ONLY THREE DAYS BEFORE MY SECOND WEDDING ANNIVERSARY.

AT THE

TIME THE ASSAULT UPON ME TOOK PLACE I HAD GREAT LOVE AND AFFECTION

FOR MY HUSBAND WHOM I REGARDED AS A KIND AND LOVING HUSBAND, A CARING

FATHER TO OUR FOUR CHILDREN AND A VERY RESPECTED AND COMPETENT

DOCTOR.

‘NOW THAT HE HAS BEEN FOUND GUILTY I AM CONTENT THAT BRITISH

JUSTICE HAS TAKEN ITS COURSE.

AFTER ALL HE CAN ONLY BE ANSWERABLE TO

GOD AND THE LAW.

IT IS NOT UP TO ME TO EITHER PUNISH OR FORGIVE

HIM.

FOR MY PART I AM NOW TAKING DIVORCE PROCEEDINGS AGAINST HIM

SINCE MY LOVE FOR HIM IS OVER AND AS FAR AS I AM CONCERNED MY

MARRIAGE IS AT AN END.

‘MY DUTY IS CLEAR.

I HAVE MY CHILDREN TO CARE AND PROVIDE

FOR AND I HOPE THAT I SHALL BE ABLE TO CARRY ON MY MEDICAL WORK AS A

DOCTOR AND PROVIDE MY PATIENTS WITH AS MUCH CARE, TREATMENT AND

SUPPORT AS I AM ABLE AND IT MAY BE THAT FOR SOME OF THEM MY DREADFUL

EXPERIENCE AND MY SURVIVAL WILL ALSO GIVE THEM STRENGTH.

‘AT LEAST THE EVENTS OF JANUARY 4 HAVE PROVED WHAT MEDICAL

SCIENCE CAN DO WITH THE HELP OF GOD.

IT WAS SURELY A MIRACLE THAT I

SURVIVED.

‘I HOPE THE WORLD WILL NOW LEAVE ME AND MY CHILDREN IN PEACE

TO TRY AND PUT OUR LIVES TOGETHER AGAIN AND MAKE A NEW START.

‘

ENDS.