This article is from the source 'guardian' and was first published or seen on . It last changed over 40 days ago and won't be checked again for changes.

You can find the current article at its original source at https://www.theguardian.com/uk-news/2017/apr/26/soldier-guilty-of-stalking-and-murdering-ex-girlfriend-alice-ruggles

The article has changed 5 times. There is an RSS feed of changes available.

Version 2 Version 3
Soldier jailed for stalking and murdering ex-girlfriend Alice Ruggles Soldier jailed for stalking and murdering ex-girlfriend Alice Ruggles
(about 1 hour later)
A soldier has been jailed for more than 20 years for murdering his ex-girlfriend after breaking into her flat and cutting her neck open from ear to ear. A soldier has been jailed for more than 20 years for murder after he stalked his ex-girlfriend, broke into her flat and cut her throat.
L/Cl Trimaan “Harry” Dhillon, 26, who stalked Alice Ruggles, left her to bleed to death on her bathroom floor in Gateshead last October. L/Cl Trimaan “Harry” Dhillon, 26, left 24-year-old Alice Ruggles to bleed to death on her bathroom floor in Gateshead last October.
Newcastle crown court heard that she was terrified of him and had got an official police warning to stop him from contacting her, but the obsessive and manipulative Special Forces hopeful ignored it, and drove from his Edinburgh barracks to Tyneside to kill her in a jealous temper. Newcastle crown court heard that she had been terrified of him and had obtained an official police warning to try to prevent him from contacting her, but he ignored it and drove from his Edinburgh barracks to Tyneside to kill her.
Judge Paul Sloan QC told Dhillon, who he jailed for life with a minimum term of 22 years, the murder was an act of “utter barbarism”. Sentencing Dhillon to serve a minimum term of 22 years, the judge Paul Sloan QC said the murder was an act of “utter barbarism”.
He said: “Not a shred of remorse have you shown from first to last – indeed you were concentrating so hard on getting your story right when giving evidence you forgot even to shed a crocodile tear.” “Not a shred of remorse have you shown from first to last – indeed, you were concentrating so hard on getting your story right when giving evidence you forgot even to shed a crocodile tear,” Sloan said.
Ruggles’ family wept and hugged each other when a jury found him guilty of murder after deliberating for less than two hours. There was no visible reaction from Dhillon. The court was told that Dhillon and Ruggles developed an intense relationship over the internet while he was serving in Afghanistan and Ruggles was working for Sky in Newcastle.
The court was told that the pair developed an intense relationship over the internet while Dhillon was serving in Afghanistan and Ruggles, a 24-year-old graduate from Leicestershire, was working for Sky in Newcastle. Dhillon soon set about alienating her from her friends, knocking her self-confidence and demanding her constant attention. His previous partner had a similar experience, which ended only after she took out a restraining order, the court heard.
Dhillon soon set about alienating her from her friends, knocked her self-confidence and demanded her constant attention. His previous partner had a similar experience and her ordeal ended only after she took out a restraining order. When Ruggles ended the relationship in August last year, Dhillon, a signaller with the 2 Scots, became obsessive. He contacted her mother on social media, pleading with her to intervene, hacked into Ruggles’ Facebook account to monitor her movements, and sent her pleading messages and selfies.
Despite professing to love Ruggles, who was described by friends as full of life and fun, Dhillon, was also unfaithful.
When Ruggles ended the relationship in August last year, Dhillon, a signaller with the 2 Scots, became obsessive. He contacted her mother on social media, pleading with her to intervene, hacked into her Facebook account to monitor her movements and would send her pleading messages and selfies.
When he discovered she might be starting a new relationship with an army officer she had met in Germany, Dhillon stalked her ground-floor flat at night, knocking on her bedroom window and terrifying her.When he discovered she might be starting a new relationship with an army officer she had met in Germany, Dhillon stalked her ground-floor flat at night, knocking on her bedroom window and terrifying her.
She contacted the police, whose initial response she later described as “brilliant”, and obtained a PIN (harassment notice) warning, telling him to stay away. She contacted the police – whose initial response she later described as “brilliant” – and obtained a police information notice, also known as an early harassment notice, telling him to stay away.
But Dhillon, who hoped to join the Special Reconnaissance Regiment, ignored it and sent her a parcel with a pleading note. When Dhillon then sent her a parcel with a pleading note, Ruggles contacted the police again but declined to have him arrested. She later told a friend she felt “palmed off”, and in frustration told her sister Emma the police would “respond when he stabs me”.
When Ruggles contacted the police again, she was asked if she wanted him to be arrested and she declined. She later told a friend she felt “palmed off”, and in frustration told her sister, Emma, the police would “respond when he stabs me”. Northumbria police said they had referred their actions to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, but said no one at the time had known the threat he posed.
Northumbria police said they had referred their actions to the Independent Police Complaints Commission, but said no one at the time knew the threat he posed. On 12 October Dhillon climbed into Ruggles’ flat through an open window and attacked her in the bathroom, slashing her throat at least six times.
On 12 October, Dhillon climbed into Ruggles’ flat through an open window and attacked her in the bathroom, slashing her throat at least six times. Ruggles’ flatmate Maxine McGill found her when she came home and called the emergency services. Her harrowing 999 call, in which she repeatedly shouted “Alice” to her fatally wounded friend, was played to the jury. During the call she named Dhillon as a suspect, and he was arrested at his barracks that night.
She had 24 injuries, including defensive wounds, while Dhillon, who at 1.85 metres (6ft 1in) was almost a foot taller and three stone heavier, suffered none. Nevertheless, he claimed in court that she had attacked him and died after accidentally plunging the knife into her own neck. He fled without dialling 999 and took her phone with him. He initially denied having been in the flat that evening, but changed his story after Ruggles’ blood was found on his Help for Heroes wristband and on the steering wheel of his BMW.
Her flatmate, Maxine McGill, called the emergency services when she came home. Her harrowing 999 call, in which she repeatedly shouted “Alice” to her fatally wounded friend, was played to the jury. She named Dhillon as the suspect and he was arrested at his barracks that night. He claimed in court that she had attacked him and that she died after accidentally plunging the knife into her own neck. The court heard that Ruggles was found with 24 injuries, including defensive wounds, while Dhillon, who was almost a foot taller and three stone heavier, was unharmed.
He initially denied being in the flat that evening, but changed his story after Ruggles’ blood was found on his Help for Heroes wristband and on the steering wheel of his BMW.