Son ‘murdered his mother after she confiscated his TV remote’

Surjit Singh murdered his 76-year-old mother in a rage about a TV remote (Picture: SWNS)

A son murdered his mother after a row in which she confiscated the TV remote, a court has heard.

Surjit Singh, 39, chasing his mother Mohinder Kaur around their home in on Clarence Road, Handsworth, before kicking and stamping on her head, neck and limbs.

Police forced their way inside the property where they discovered the 76-year-old on the floor.

She was still conscious, but had suffered serious injuries in the assault on September 29 last year.

The mother was taken to the Queen Elizabeth Hospital where she was pronounced dead later the same day.

While in custody, Singh said: ‘I didn’t mean to do it. I just lost my head.’

He was handed a life sentence at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday.

The court heard that his rage was fuelled by a toxic combination of alcohol and cocaine.

In the day before his attack, Singh had consumed 700ml of whisky, eight to 10 cans of beer, and two grams of cocaine,Judge Simon Drew KC said.

He had also had a row with his brother, culminating with him throwing bricks at his sibling’s garden in Moseley, Birmingham.

Singh was handed a life sentence at Birmingham Crown Court on Friday (Picture: Getty Images)

Singh had also previously slapped his sister and threatened to ‘smash her lights out’.

As her sole carer, Singh did his mother’s shopping and cleaning as well as manage her finances, the Telegraph reported.

Back in November 2023, the son told the NHS 111 hotline that he was struggling with his mental health and had teared his mother’s hair.

The court heard that the night of the attack, Singh’s mother criticised him for his intoxicated state and ordered him to vacate their shared space.

Zafar Ali KC, defending, said Singh had been suffering from a ‘mental disorder’, compounded with trauma from being abused by his father.

He added that Singh had not volunteered to care for his mother, but that the role ‘fell on him’.

Singh pleaded guilty to murder at a previous hearing.

Sentencing, Judge Drew said that he had subjected his frail mother to a ‘sustained attack over a considerable period of time’ during which she must have ‘suffered terribly’.

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