Forex

The husband of an Indian-origin police officer, who was murdered at his behest in order to claim her insurance policy worth 350,000 pounds, was sentenced to life imprisonment along with two others by a British court on Wednesday.

Nisha Patel-Nasri, 29, died of severe bleeding after she was stabbed with a kitchen knife at her home in Wembley in May 2006.

The murder was planned by her husband, Fadi Nasri, 34, who wanted her insurance money to pay off debts of more than 100,000 pounds.

In the Old Bailey court here, he was told that he would serve a minimum of 20 years in prison. Two other men involved in the murder were also given life sentences for the murder.

Nasri reportedly hired drug dealer roger leslie, 38, to organise the killing and he, in turn, recruited Jason Jones, 36, as the knifeman.

The prosecution said that Nasri was regularly visiting prostitutes and began a "passionate" affair with one of them, Laura Mockiene.

His company was in trouble and he could not afford his extravagant lifestyle, so he killed his wife to pay for it in what police called "the final betrayal".

The death of Patel-Nasri, a hard-working part-time policewoman, was described as a "tragedy" by metropolitan police commissioner Sir Ian Blair.

"We are extremely pleased with today`s (Wednesday) sentences. These three dangerous and callous men are going to be in prison for a very long time," Nick Scola, deputy Commissioner of Intelligence who investigated the case, said.

Scola said, "They have proven themselves to be extremely dangerous men, who have no regard for human life. Not only were they willing to murder a defencelss woman in her own home, but they also lied about each others involvement to try and save themselves from prison.”

"I am satisfied that the public are safer now that these men are locked away," Scola added.

Nisha`s brother Katen Patel said, "It`s a huge relief that this nightmare is finally over and the men responsible will remain in prison for a very long time. However, no amount of years given will replace Nisha and this outcome will never compare with the suffering of our loss.”

"Nisha was 29 years old with her whole life ahead of her but after making the wrong choice and falling in love with a greedy, evil man, her life has been brutally taken away and now her memory is being trashed," Keten added.

"Allegations suggesting that my Nisha was a secret vice madam and one who abused her status, as a police woman, comes as a total shock and I am disgusted and offended by the comments made," he said.