Baltej Lailna ‘not criminally responsible’ for stabbing death of wife due to psychosis

“Call the police, I murdered Kamal.” Those six words shattered Jaspreet Singh’s life. His sister, dead. Her husband and killer, has been fund ‘not criminally responsible’. It’s a death Mr Singh says could have been avoided if a Sydney hospital had stepped in when given the chance.

A heartbroken man says his sister’s life could have been saved if her killer husband was admitted to hospital for ongoing paranoia the day before her horrific death.

Baltej Singh Lailna fatally stabbed his wife, Kamaljeet Sidhu, at their home at Quakers Hill in 2020 after suffering a psychotic episode.

Just one day before her tragic death, Ms Sidhu had taken her husband to hospital for his persistent paranoia, however he was released into her care with a follow up mental health appointment booked.

But that appointment never happened, with Lailna killing his wife at their home less than 24 hours later.

“I’m so angry because if they kept him at the hospital my sister’s life could have been saved,” Ms Sidhu’s brother Jaspreet Singh told the Sunday Telegraph.

Jaspreet Singh with a picture of his late sister. Picture: Toby Zerna

Kamaljeet Sidhu. Picture: supplied

“My family and I are so depressed and we have to seek help everyday to try and maintain a life with this horrible grief.”

This week, Lailna was cleared of criminal responsibility over his wife’s stabbing death, with a Supreme Court judge finding him not guilty of murder because he was suffering from a “mental health impairment” at the time.

The court heard that in the four weeks prior to Ms Sidhu’s death, Lailna had slapped his wife, been hit with an AVO and was admitted to Blacktown Hospital as an involuntary patient due to his mental health.

Ms Sidhu had become frightened of her husband, with the court hearing she told police she feared for her life on April 27.

Baltej Lailna following his arrest. Picture: Supplied

“She advised that she had a fight with the accused, and she was ‘very scared’ that he would kill her,” the court heard.

The court heard the police applied for and obtained a provisional apprehended domestic violence order, and served it upon the Lailna to protect Ms Sidhu. However, they continued living at the same address.

According to information provided to the court by the hospital, Lailna had been suffering paranoid symptoms for 15 days prior to his admission to hospital and was taking both meth and heroin.

“He felt his wife was cheating on him so he was stressed all the time and thinking his wife was conspiring to get him killed,” hospital records noted.

He was released from hospital on May 8, after he was diagnosed with “substance induced psychotic disorder.”

He returned to hospital 11 days later with Ms Sidhu, but was ultimately sent home.

At 6pm on May 20, Mr Singh returned home to the tragedy.

The court heard Lailna immediately told him: “call the police, I murdered Kamal”.

Mr Singh looked past a blood-covered Lailna, and saw his sister lying on the bedroom floor – face up and motionless.

He ran from the home and called the police, who arrested Lailna. He immediately admitted to killing his wife, saying he stabbed her in the neck.

Kamaljeet Sidhu with her younger brother Jaspreet.

In a report prepared for the court forensic psychologist Dr Richard Furst said he was satisfied Lailna was suffering from schizophrenia.

In Dr Furst’s opinion, the now 34-year-old “believes that his actions were justified and were necessary to defend himself, being insightless into his own mental illness and being unable to reason about the wrongfulness of his actions with a moderate degree of composure”.

Following a hearing into Lailna’s mental health, Justice Nicholas Che this week found that while he did fatally stab Ms Sidhu, he could not be found criminally responsible due to his state of mind.

Mr Singh, who described his sister as “reliable and trustworthy”, encouraged women like her to report or seek help if they are experiencing domestic violence.

“I only found out he had become violent after she went to the police,” he said.

“She called me and told me and I came to support her straight away. But women need to feel supported and must report this horrible behaviour.”

Harinder Kaur, CEO of the Harman Foundation – which works closely with domestic violence victims from multicultural backgrounds – said Ms Sidhu’s tragic death proved education around the issue was important.

“In a lot of cultures domestic violence is kept very private, it says in the home,” she aid.

“We need to educate people about the signs, how they can help their neighbour, friend or family member who is suffering.”