Killer stabbed woman to death for not flushing the toilet

A deranged killer who stabbed his flatmate to death after complaining she failed to flush the toilet was jailed for life.

Gary Davis, 51, murdered 56-year-old Gita Suri at the home they shared in Greenwich, southeast London, on June 21.

He knifed her repeatedly in the back and upper body then doused her body in lighter fluid.

Davis later told police Ms Suri had left the front door open that morning and he was worried their TV could have been stolen, the Old Bailey heard.

Ms Suri’s body was found by police two days later in the back garden under a duvet weighed down with logs.

Her flip flops and traditional Indian shawl were found by the door to the garden.

Paranoid schizophrenic Davis, who admitted killing Ms Suri on grounds of diminished responsibility, was convicted of murder.

Sentencing Davis to life with a minimum of 17 years, Judge Anthony Leonard, QC, said: ‘You have been convicted of the murder of a much-liked mother who, much like yourself, suffered from schizophrenia as a result of abuse she suffered years ago, something that makes this case even more tragic.”

The judge said Davis had ‘snapped’ after complaining about Ms Suri leaving the front door open, calling the police on him and not flushing the toilet.

‘Despite these irritations her life should have never been brought to an end by your hand,’ he said.

Earlier, Julian Evans, prosecuting, told jurors: ‘Mr Davis stabbed Ms Suri to death in the kitchen of the address they shared in Tunnel Avenue. She was 56 when she died in June this year.

‘She had lived at that address for a number of years and had a bedroom there on the first floor of the property looking out onto the front of the house.

‘Mr Davis had lived at that address for one to two years. He also had a bedroom on the first floor which faced out onto the garden.

‘The defendant and the victim were the only two people living at that address.

‘The defendant accepts that he killed Ms Suri. He accepts that he stabbed her to death in the kitchen of their property and that he stabbed her repeatedly in her back and upper body.’

A neighbour alerted police after discovering Ms Suri’s body in the garden.

Mr Evans continued: ‘Once inside the property they found Ms Suri in the rear garden a short distance away from the door.

‘Her body had been partially hidden with a brown duvet secured in place with some logs. Her buttocks were exposed and her underwear were down around her upper thighs.

‘It was apparent that she had been dead for a number of days. It was clear that she had been the victim of a violent and sustained attack.

‘Flammable liquid had been applied to her body in an attempt to burn it.’

Blood stains were found in the kitchen and garden despite Davis’s attempts to clean it up, jurors heard.

Ms Suri suffered multiple stab wounds to the upper body, damaging numerous internal organs and cutting into her ribs. She also had significant facial injuries.

CCTV footage captured Davis walking around shops near the house at 6.30am a day after the killing.

After he was arrested, he initially gave a no comment interview but later admitted attacking Ms Suri.

‘He told police that he had attacked her in the kitchen of the house and had stabbed her many, many times,’ said Mr Evans.

‘He said he was annoyed with her because she had left the front door of the house open when she had left the house earlier that day, and he had wanted to confront her about it.

‘This issue had been a bone of contention between the defendant and the victim for a long time. He said he spoke to her about it on many occasions but she just kept on doing it.

‘He said he went downstairs to confront her and she had been in the kitchen near the microwave making herself a drink.

‘He said she stared at him and gave him a dirty look and carried on with what she was doing.’

Jurors heard she then shouted at Davis something he believed to be offensive in Indian.

‘He said he punched her twice in the face and she fell to the ground,’ said Mr Evans.

‘He said she was screaming and was calling for the police, and that he turned and saw a knife nearby and picked it up then attacked her with it.’

Mr Evans said Davis told police he picked up the knife in a ‘frenzy’ and stabbed Ms Suri for several minutes.

He plunged the knife as far into her body as the blade would go then dragged her body outside and tried to clean blood off the kitchen surfaces, jurors heard.

‘He said he tried to dispose of her body by dousing it with white spirit and lighter fluid which he tried to light but failed,’ said Mr Evans.

‘He covered her body with the duvet from his bedroom.’

Mr Evans said that, before the murder, Davis had told a mental health professional visiting Ms Suri at the house that he was worried their television would be stolen because she kept leaving the door open.

The property was owned by a private landlord and rented out by Woolwich Council under the Caring Landlord Scheme to people suffering from mental health difficulties, jurors were told.

Ms Suri began living there in 2006. She and Davis both suffered from paranoid schizophrenia, and she also suffered from depression and diabetes.

Jurors heard she was on anti-psychotic medication and had a habit of wandering around near the house, knocking on neighbours doors and posting letters to them.

She was ‘sociable’ despite her ‘limited command of English’, and she wore traditional Indian dress and attended temple.

Mr Evans said there was no evidence of any sexual activity between Davis and Ms Suri on the day of the murder.

Davis, previously of Tunnel Avenue, Greenwich, southeast London, admitted manslaughter on grounds of diminished responsibility but denied manslaughter.

Detective Chief Inspector Mark Cranwell, of the Met’s Homicide and Major Crime Command, said: ‘Davis carried out a horrendous attack on Gita which led to her death and then callously attempted to cover up what he had done.

‘Her family have to live with the consequences of one man’s actions for the rest of their lives and we hope this result gives them some measure of comfort.’

Gita’s daughter and son-in-law said: ‘Gita was a lovely, caring lady, who will be missed dearly by all those who knew her.

‘We accept this verdict, and would like to take this opportunity to thank the Metropolitan Police for all their hard work during the investigation and the continued support they have provided our family throughout this difficult time.

‘While it is difficult for us to imagine life without Gita, we are thankful for the years we did have with her and are hopeful that lessons can be learnt from this incident so that no more families have to go through the loss we have.’