Murdered woman's family describe void in their lives after husband jailed for life

Olivia Kelleher

A man who claimed that he accidentally cut the throat of his wife with a carving knife he bought two days earlier has been jailed for life having been convicted of her murder last month.

Regin Rajan used his Tesco Clubcard and brought a bag for life to Tesco in Wilton in Cork on July 12th, 2023, as he coolly and calmly purchased the weapon he used to murder his wife Deepa Dinamani. Jurors at a trial in the Central Criminal Court in Cork were shown CCTV of him buying the knife and a bottle of Jameson whiskey some of which which he drank after he killed his wife.

At a sentencing hearing in Cork, Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford said that Mr Rajan (43) committed murder because he could not accept that his wife wanted a divorce.

The couple were living under the same roof in separate bedrooms and Ms Dinamani had made it clear that they were no longer in a relationship.

Ms Justice Lankford said that Deepa was clearly an “excellent person” who had much to offer in life. Her husband by contrast “displayed no empathy for his wife.”

Ms Justice Lankford said that instead of remorse Rajan seemed to “feel sorry for himself” when he was giving his direct evidence which consisted of a “tissue of lies.”

Whilst sentencing Rajan to the mandatory sentence of life in prison Ms Justice Lankford said that following the murder on July 14th, 2023, Rajan fabricated stories in a bid to “besmirch the good name” of his late wife. Deepa she stressed was an “exemplary mother, daughter, sister and friend.”

The trial had heard that Deepa sustained a 14cm knife wound after she was attacked by Mr Rajan at their home in Cardinal Court in Wilton in Cork. The cut ran from her earlobe to the midpoint of her neck.

Rajan had claimed that his wife had picked up a knife at a bedroom in their home and told him to get out. He said that there was a “tussle” and “her throat got cut.”

“There was blood everywhere. Such a shock for me. I didn’t know what to do.”

He said in direct evidence that he never meant to harm Deepa in any way “not even to give her a slap.”

Ullas Dinamani, the only sibling of the late Deepa Dinamani, delivered his victim impact statement via video link from India.

He said that his wonderful sister was taken from the family in the most horrific manner imaginable.

“My sister was not just a sibling to me – she was my confidante, my closest friend and the heart of our family. We were incredibly close," he said.

"We shared everything – our hopes, our fears, our joys. Her presence brought happiness to our home and her absence has left an unbearable void that we are still struggling to live with every single day.

"She was an amazing daughter to our parents – selfless, caring and compassionate. Seeing my mother still break down, often without warning, overwhelmed with sorrow, is one of the hardest things for me as a son. And I sit there helplessly, unable to ease her pain.

"My father, once a pillar of strength to us, one of the toughest men I have ever seen, now sits in silence, broken by the loss of his beloved daughter. He doesn't speak much these days, but his face reveals the pain he is in.”

Mr Dinamani said that Deepa’s young son, who now lives with the family in India, was “adored” by his mother and shared a “deep loving bond with her.”

“No child should ever have to experience such trauma, to lose their mother in such a cruel way in the early stages of his life. He misses her.

"He sometimes asks questions which are not easy to answer. He is very fond of me and my parents, we try to give him love, support and a sense of normalcy, but we know nothing can ever replace the love of his mother.”

He added that Deepa was a “remarkable woman.”

“Ambitious and full of life. She was respected by all who knew her. She had dreams and goals and a future she was building for her son, a future that was stolen from her and from us.

"This tragedy has left permanent scars in our family. There's not a single day that passes without thinking of her, without feeling her absence.The pain doesn't fade - it lives with us."

Murder without hesitation

Det Sgt Michelle O’Leary told the sentencing hearing that that Deepa was a wonderful person who provided for her family in India. She stated that Rajan carried out the deliberate murder without any “hesitation.”

Meanwhile, the trial heard that Deepa not only lost massive amounts of blood but also inhaled and swallowed her own blood. Her windpipe was exposed by the gaping wound and she was rendered unable to utter a single word.

Deepa was found dead in a blood soaked bed at her home after members of the Armed Support Uni attended at the scene. Mr Rajan had called 999 and told the operator that he had killed his wife and that police should come and arrest him.

A handwritten note was found on a table in the bedroom where Deepa had been located partially naked under a duvet cover. The writer asked for forgiveness for what he had done to Deepa. A wedding ring was found near the note.

Deepa was the mother of a five year old boy who had gone to summer camp in Cork that morning not realising that he would never see his mother again. Poignantly, two blood stained teddy bears were found near her body on the bed.

The couple had moved to Ireland just four months earlier with their young son so that Deepa, who was a chartered accountant, could take up employment as a senior manager in a finance company in Cork city.

The trial heard that Rajan googled prison conditions in Ireland in the period before the murder. He also completed web searches about carving knives.

Mr Rajan failed to call an ambulance for his dying wife. In direct evidence he claimed to have tried to stop the bleeding with his hand as he was “blank” and “in shock.”

Sean Gillane, Prosecution Senior Counsel, said that in the aftermath of the murder Rajan picked up his wife’s phone and texted a man called Jay with whom Deepa had been in contact. He then pretended to be Deepa.

Mr Gillane asked Rajan why he had wrapped his partially naked wife in a duvet after the stabbing. The accused replied: “Just to protect her dignity. I always loved her.”