THE sentence of killer Phillip Badwal, who murdered his own father Santokh ‘Charlie’ Singh with a cricket bat, will not be reviewed by the Court of Appeal, it has been confirmed.
The sentence of Badwal, 25, who admitted to murdering his father at their home in Airedale Road, Undercliffe, midway through his trial earlier this year, was referred under the Unduly Lenient Sentence scheme.
However, the life term with a minimum of 20 years sentence handed down by Judge Jonathan Rose has been vindicated, after Attorney General Suella Braverman decided it did not meet the threshold to be reconsidered as being too short.
To go to the Court of Appeal under the ULS, a sentence has to be “outside the range of sentences reasonably available in the circumstances,” or the sentencing judge needs to have made a “gross error”.
Phillip Tajinder Badwal murdered his father on November 30, 2020, in a “savage, brutal and persistent assault on a defenceless man” the day after Mr Singh – affectionately known as Charlie to friends – had turned 59-years-old.
Using a cricket bat and his feet to kick and stamp, he was beaten to death by Badwal, using “unspeakable violence”, Judge Rose said.
The killer had pleaded not guilty to the offence but changed his plea to guilty after the trial had begun.
A drug addict, Badwal was controlling and violent towards his father, taking his money to buy drugs. The day he killed Mr Singh, he rang a dealer to order Class A drugs before calling 999 as his vulnerable father lay dying on the floor.
His elder brothers – Charles and Richard, who loved and respected their father – were forced to go through the agony of giving evidence in court before Badwal changed his plea.
Bradford Crown Court heard Badwal had a string of previous convictions for violent offences and was on bail when he murdered his father.
Anyone can request a prison sentence is reviewed by the Attorney General's Office if they feel it to be unduly lenient, within 28 days of sentence.
Keep up to date with all the latest news on our website, or follow us on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram.
For all the top news updates from right across the region straight to your inbox, sign up to our newsletter here.
Have you got a story for us? Contact our newsdesk on newsdesk@telegraphandargus.co.uk
Comments: Our rules
We want our comments to be a lively and valuable part of our community - a place where readers can debate and engage with the most important local issues. The ability to comment on our stories is a privilege, not a right, however, and that privilege may be withdrawn if it is abused or misused.
Please report any comments that break our rules.
Read the rules hereComments are closed on this article