Daniel Sean James charged in Kirandeep Kaur murder case

Daniel Sean James, 46, has been charged with murdering Kirandeep Kaur, 24, who was fatally stabbed while asleep with her husband and baby in Hayes, west London. Her sister says the family is devastated and wants justice, as James faces a plea hearing on 1 October.

Key Takeaways

• Daniel Sean James is charged with murder, attempted murder and possession of a blade after an alleged attack in Hayes on 12 July.
• Kirandeep Kaur, 24, was stabbed in bed with her husband and infant; her sister Gursharan says the family is devastated.
• Prosecutors say James allegedly broke into the home after stabbing a man in his 20s in the street nearby.
• James appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink and was remanded in custody pending a 1 October plea hearing.
• The family in Punjab want her body returned to India for a funeral in their village.

What happened to Kirandeep Kaur?

According to the BBC, prosecutors told the Old Bailey that Daniel Sean James allegedly broke into Kaur's home on Uxbridge Road in Hayes in the early hours of Sunday 12 July.

They said he had allegedly stabbed a man in his 20s in the back on the street minutes earlier. At about 07:50 BST, he allegedly kicked at the door and entered while the family of three slept in bed.

Prosecutor Charlene Sumnall said Kaur's husband awoke to her scream and saw a figure leaving the bedroom. Kaur suffered a stab wound to the chest and was pronounced dead at 08:26 BST.

James then allegedly jumped from a window, broke both ankles and was detained nearby after hospital treatment.

How has Kirandeep Kaur's family responded?

Speaking to BBC London through a translator from Punjab's Majha region, Kaur's sister Gursharan, 21, said: "She is everything for me, she video calls me and my mum. What are we going to do without her?"

Gursharan said her sister moved to the UK in September 2024 to study at Buckinghamshire New University, later working in a grocery store and supporting relatives at home in Tarn Taran, near Amritsar.

"She was my world. My heart hurts," she said, adding that their parents are devastated and that she learned of the death from someone in their village, still with little information.

The family want justice and for Kaur's body to be returned for a funeral in their village. Vigils have been held by the local Sikh community. Coverage of community health and wellbeing also appears in our Longevity & Biohacking section.

What charges does Daniel Sean James face?

James, of Mercer Place, Pinner, west London, has been charged with Kaur's murder, attempted murder and possession of a blade. On Thursday he appeared at the Old Bailey by videolink from Wormwood Scrubs.

Judge Nigel Lickley KC set a plea hearing for 1 October and remanded him in custody. The case remains before the courts; James has been charged and not convicted.

Kaur leaves behind her husband, infant, parents and three siblings. Her sister said the family never expected such violence in London and hopes it never happens to another family.