Failed IT student guilty of murdering woman he was 'obsessed with' in Earls Court Airbnb revenge attack

Deepak Sandhu, 24, was found guilty at the Old Bailey of murdering Xiaoqing Ke, 39, in a "sustained and ferocious" knife attack at her Earls Court Airbnb on 9 December 2025. Prosecutors called the attack "planned" after Sandhu lured Ke into letting him visit by sending a video of fake £20 notes to repay money he had stolen from her. Sandhu had been thrown off his IT course at Southampton Solent University for poor attendance and had his visa revoked, yet told Ke he was an actor heading to a US audition.

Sandhu disguised himself with a scarf and baseball cap before arriving — his movements captured in full on the flat's Ring doorbell camera.

Ke had moved from Southampton to London after Sandhu stole from her; the pair communicated entirely through Google Translate, sharing no common language.

Prosecutor Caroline Carberry KC branded Sandhu a 'fantasist' and 'obsessed, manipulative young man' who had told Ke's former boss: 'She will regret what she has done.'