Jailed, husband who killed his wife after beating her with a gardening tool just weeks after abuse case collapsed

Daily Mail​

06-05-2025

An NHS worker who murdered his wife just weeks after an earlier domestic abuse case collapsed has been jailed for a minimum 18 years.
Kasikai Chinyanga, 47, killed Veronica Chinyanga who begged for her life as her husband turned on her in the back garden of their home in Broxburn, West Lothian last June.
The 42-year-old mother had predicted he may not forgive her for previously reporting him to police.
She was repeatedly struck with a pronged garden tool before being stabbed in the stomach with a knife.
Chinyanga yesterday returned to the High Court in Glasgow having earlier admitted to the murder.
Jailing him for life, Lord Mulholland said the killing had been 'cowardly, savage and brutal'.
The couple had moved to Scotland in 2008 from Zimbabwe.
They had a teenage son together and her 20 year-old daughter also lived with them.
Chinyanga worked in finance for the NHS and he was training to be an accountant at the time.
His wife - born Chitsidzo, but known as Veronica - was involved in a project to help international health workers adapt to a new country.
Prosecutor Wojciech Jajdelski told how there had been 'a history of domestic incidents' between the couple.
He added: 'Despite some being reported, criminal proceedings were not concluded due to an apparent reluctance on the part of Veronica Chinyanga to attend court.
'In particular, her second failure to attend as a witness in a summary trial on May 27, 2024 - two weeks before [the murder] - lead to dis-continuation of the case.'
The charge had included a claim Chinyanga had been aggressive with his wife, struggled with her and pushed her in early 2023.
On June 2 last year, Veronica texted one of her sisters that she believed her husband 'was not going to forgive her' and was 'bitter' at her calling police in connection with that alleged incident.
Hours before the killing seven days later, she had been with her children at an awards ceremony for her son's football team. Chinyanga did not attend.
But later that day the couple ended up alone in their home.
Her last message was about 7.38pm to her daughter and around 10 minutes later, neighbours - including young children - became aware of 'disturbance' at the couple's property.
Mr Jajdelski then explained: 'Chinyanga carried out a violent and sustained assault on his wife which lasted for several minutes.
'At the outset, they were inside the house and then made their way into the rear garden.
'Chinyanga repeatedly struck Veronica on the head and body with a metal cultivator tool.'
Veronica desperately attempted to defend herself, but her husband continued the onslaught.
She yelled: 'He is trying to kill me.'
Audio footage from a nearby CCTV camera captured her horrific screams.
At one stage, she tried to clamber over their six-foot garden fence, but was dragged back down.
Shocked neighbours repeatedly yelled on him to stop.
The advocate depute added: 'Chinyanga did not say anything during the assault and did not seem to be panicking.'
He casually walked back into his house before returning with a knife.
He went up to his wife - stricken on the ground - and continued the assault lashing out with the blade.
Chinyanga was heard to shout: 'Why?'
The expressionless killer finally stopped, walked out his front door and asked a neighbour to phone the police.
He was initially arrested for assault with his wife still alive at that time.
But, en-route to Edinburgh Royal Infirmary, her condition deteriorated. She went into cardiac arrest and resuscitation attempts were made at hospital, but she did not survive.
Her injuries included a fatal stab wound to the abdomen thought to have been caused by the knife.
Donald Findlay KC, defending, said Chinyanga was 'very remorseful' for what he had done.
The advocate added: 'Clearly whatever it was that brought this matter to its sad conclusion, something must have triggered it.
'I have tried to get to the bottom of that, but I just cannot.'
Lord Mulholland cut the minimum sentence from 20 years due to the guilty plea.
The judge said: 'While you attacked her, she screamed for her life and tried to defend herself against a multiplicity of blows that you inflicted on her.
'The audio recording of her last moments were harrowing to hear.