Rekha Kumari-Baker | |
---|---|
Born | Rekha Kumari 1967 or 1968 (age 55–56)[1] |
Occupation | Waitress |
Criminal status | Murder |
Spouse | David Baker (former) |
Children | Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker |
Motive | Revenge against ex-partner |
Conviction(s) | Murder |
Criminal charge | Murder |
Penalty | Life imprisonment (minimum tariff 33 years) |
Details | |
Victims | Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker |
Date | 13 June 2007 |
Location(s) | Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England |
Weapon | Knives |
Davina and Jasmine Kumari-Baker were murdered by their mother who stabbed them to death at their home in Stretham, Cambridgeshire, England, while they slept on 13 June 2007.[2] Rekha Kumari-Baker was sentenced to life imprisonment with a minimum tariff of 33 years.[1][3] In 2010 the BBC stated that the punishment was "one of the longest jail terms given to a woman in the UK in modern times."[4]
The older daughter Davina, aged 16, was killed first, with Kumari-Baker stabbing her 39 times. The younger daughter Jasmine, aged 13, was found dead in her bed stabbed 29 times.[5]
The prosecutor stated that Rekha Kumari-Baker killed the girls as a form of revenge against her ex-husband and father of the girls, David Baker.[6] The murderer had purchased kitchen knives, the murder weapons, from ASDA on 11 June.[2]
Cambridgeshire County Council conducted a review into the murders and found they could not have been prevented and listed recommendations for social workers in relation to the review.[4]