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UPDATED
NRI Ashok Kalyanjee who stabbed two sons to death jailed for 21
years
London, Jan 22, 2009
Sant Parkash Singh
NRI Ashok Kalyanjee, 46, who stabbed his two young
sons- 6 years old Paul Ross and 2 years old Jay Ross to death, was
sentenced to at least 21 years in jail.
Lord Brailsford said:
- It is clear from what I've been told that this crime was premeditated,
planned and organized.
- You used deceit and lies to persuade both the children's mother
and the children themselves to go out with you that afternoon.
- You purchased the murder weapon in advance and acquired petrol.
- He would have ordered Kalyanjee to serve a minimum of 28 years,
but reduced it to 21 years because of his early guilty plea.
- The victims were defenseless and no doubt they trusted you and
assumed you would take care of them as a father should.
- This is as grave a crime as can be imagined.
Lord Brailsford jailed Kalyanjee for life and told him he would
have to serve a minimum period of 21 years behind bars.
Ashok Kalyanjee showed no emotion as the sentence was pronounced,
but his ex-wife Giselle Ross yelled at him in the court, "They
were my babies. They never even loved you anyway".
UPDATED
London, Nov 20, 2008
Sant Parkash Singh
NRI Ashok Kalyanjee has admitted responsibility for
the death of his two young sons who were found stabbed to death
in car before attempting to set fire to the vehicle. Kalyanjee suffered
burns and was taken to hospital, remaining in intensive care until
June 19.
At the High Court in Glasgow, Ashok's lawyer, Paul
McBride QC said:
- Mr Kalyanjee accepts that the actions contained in the charge
were committed by him. The only issue relates to his mental state
at the time."
- He was a "very, very disturbed man" at the time of
the offence, although psychiatrists confirmed that he was sane
and fit to plead.
- His client had kept a diary in which he recorded his perceptions
of Scottish society and how he was feeling.
- He described himself being racially attacked, racially abused
and excluded from the family of his children.
- He felt he didn't want his children to be brought up in that
sort of society.
- Mr Kalyanjee still finds it difficult to understand what he
has done.
- He is someone who loved his children, who described them as
his arms, children he wanted to be with forever, and it appears
the perception by him on that dreadful day was that they would
all die together.
The judge adjourned the hearing for next week.
His ex-wife, Giselle Ross, who is estranged from Kalyanjee,
said after their deaths that they were "beautiful and well
loved boys".
Giselle Ross, 41, said:
- I should have been lighting Paul's birthday candles for him.
- Instead, I stood by his grave and told him how much I loved
him and missed him and Jay Jay.
- Every day Giselle and her family make the sad pilgrimage to
the graveside in Riddrie, Glasgow.
- Two black granite teddy bear headstones mark the spot.
- The only comfort I have is knowing my babies are buried with
their arms around each other, dressed in their favorite Spider-Man
and Bob the Builder pyjamas, with my mammy's ashes in beside them.
- It's the only place I can go and hide from the world and think
about my beautiful babies.
- I guard it jealously as it is the only place I can get any peace.
Two
Boys' bodies found in car, NRI arrested
London, May 05, 2008
Sant Parkash Singh
Police found the blood-soaked bodies of the two boys-
6 years old Paul Ross and 2 years old Jay Ross in the car with their
father slumped unconscious in the front seat of the vehicle near
Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire. Ashok Kalyanjee cut their throats
before pouring petrol over them and himself.
Giselle Ross divorced Ashok Kalyanjee in 2004, the
couple were still on good terms and he saw his sons regularly. On
May 03, Saturday morning, Kalyanjee phoned Ms Ross to ask if he
could see the boys. He promised them a game of football plus money
to buy toys.
Paul Ross was not interested to his father but Kalyanjee
offered him £10. Paul told his mother: "Mum, I could
buy a Spiderman toy with £10."
Ross became alarmed after a strange phone call from
her ex-husband. Ashok said, the boys were fine, he told her: "You'll
regret everything you've done to me in life." He then hung
up. Giselle Ross feared he was about to flee the country with her
sons. She tried to call him and failed. She began to search parks
before reporting the boys missing.
Passers called the police after spotting Kalyanjee
slumped in the car, parked in a lay-by in the Campsie Fells, near
Lennoxtown, East Dunbartonshire.
The police found the Mercedes car by the stench of
petrol as they opened the door to the car:
- Kalyanjee was unconscious and officers noticed a large knife
covered in blood in the footwell.
- They found Paul and noticed two stab wounds on his neck, then
found Jay
The police found a dictating machine near the vehicle
on which the voices of Kalyanjee and a child were audible.
- Kalyanjee recorded himself in Punjabi and saying: "These
children are mine and they go with me. This death is near."
- Today is the last day
- He also said in English: "Nobody can separate us, nobody
can separate us now.
- I've become a gambler and a drunk, nothing has become of me.
Ashok Kalyanjee 45, from India, has lived in the UK
since 1991. Ashok, former taxi driver, who works in a call centre
and married to Giselle Ross (Scottish) in 2001.
One neighbour said Kalyanjee, known as Ash:
- Appeared to be a doting dad when spotted with his sons.
- I saw him with the older boy quite often and he was always very
happy looking.
- He badly wanted to patch things up with the boys' mother but
he complained she was bleeding him dry financially.
- He claimed that she had run up a big credit card bill and he
was the one who had to stump up the cash and the debt was a huge
worry for him.
Another neighbour said:
- Kalyanjee lived with ailing mother Maya Devi, 70, in a Cowcaddens
tower block.
- He struggled to look after her, she didn’t speak English
and he was all she had. Ash’s drink and gambling problems
made her furious.”
- Ashok's mother and Giselle Ross ex-wife, both knew that he was
mentally unstable and they were fearing the worst.
- He had been going downhill rapidly and he was under pressure.
- He was struggling with debts and had made things worse by gambling
and he wasn't getting the access to his kids that he wanted.
- He turned to drinking and that made the access issue even worse
and things look like they have spiralled out of control.

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