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A 'coercive and controlling' husband who murdered his 19-year-old wife just months after he moved from India to the UK has been jailed for life.
Sahil Sharma, 24, stabbed Mehak Sharma repeatedly in the neck in their home in Croydon, south London before dialling 999 and calmly telling the operator: 'I have killed my wife'.
During the call, he falsely claimed that Mehak had been cheating on him and was therefore 'responsible' for her own death.
Just hours before, Sharma had texted Mehak: 'Come home and see what I can do to you.'
Sahil Sharma, 24, was given a life sentence for murdering his 19-year-old wife Mehak Sharma
Mehak called the police on three separate occasions before her death about her husbands abusive behaviour and told one operator: 'I do not need anything now, but if something wrong happens to me in the future, I need people to know that he was responsible'
Officers found Mehak unresponsive with catastrophic knife injuries at the address on Ash Tree Way.
Despite the medics' best efforts, she was pronounced dead at the scene on October 29 last year.
Mehak, from a village in the Gurdaspur district of Punjab, had moved to the UK on a student visa in November 2022. Her husband Sharma, who she had married in June 2022, joined her in June 2023.
Kingston Crown Court heard during Sharma's sentencing today that he had mentally and physically abused his wife throughout the course of their marriage.
Prosecutor Julian Evans said: 'While he was still in India and Mehak was in the UK, Sahil would call her repeatedly and expect she answer each time.
'She would be admonished by her employers for being on the phone while also being abused by her husband for not answering his calls.
'If Mehak was on the phone to her mother, Sahil would ask her to send screenshots to prove this.
'He became increasingly suspicious of her and accused her of lying about her whereabouts.'
Kingston Crown Court (pictured) heard during Sharma's sentencing today that he had mentally and physically abused his wife throughout the course of their marriage
Mr Evans said things became physical when Sharma moved to the UK to join Mehak.
He explained: 'On one occasion, the defendant twisted her arm, slapped her, and smashed her phone.
'In September 2023, Mehak called her mother, highly distressed, and told her Sahil had grabbed her neck - causing her to "feel her veins".'
The court heard that Sharma had threatened Mehak - telling her that if she reported him to the police he would kill her mother and siblings.
But reports show that Mehak still called 999 on three occasions.
'On September 12, 2023, she told the operator the defendant had been torturing her,' Mr Evans said. 'She said this was mental not physical.
'On October 22, she called 999 again and repeated that he was torturing her. She said he believed she was having an affair.
'On October 23, she said he was torturing her and had slapped her.
'She told the operator: "I do not need anything now, but if something wrong happens to me in the future, I need people to know that he was responsible."
'In the background, the defendant could be heard saying: "What wrong thing could I do to you?".'
In the months leading up to her tragic death, Mehak also frequently called her mother, Madhu Bala, and said Sharma was 'harassing' her.
Mr Evans said: 'On 29 October, there was extensive telephone contact
