I had no issue with boyfriend, accused father tells court

A Sikh father accused of strangling his 24-year-old daughter at their Telford home today denied he had any problem over her white boyfriend.

Gurmeet Singh Ubhi told jurors at Leicester Crown Court he did not disapprove of his daughter Amrit Kaur Ubhi being in a relationship with Stuart Loakes, a soldier with the 2nd Battalion The Rifles.

Ubhi denies murdering his daughter on September 7 at the family home in Berberis Road, Leegomery.

Speaking through an interpreter, the 54-year-old supermarket worker dismissed claims that he had encouraged his daughter to find a Sikh boyfriend.

Hamreet Singh Ubhi, Ubhi's son, had previously told the court his father complained about Miss Ubhi seeing the soldier.

But the defendant told the jury: "I never questioned her that she had a white boyfriend. Stuart Loakes was very intelligent, polite and a likeable lad so I had no problem, as I mentioned before."

Ubhi also denied verbally abusing his daughter and said he never threatened to kill her or her mother Satinder Kaur Ubhi after previous arguments.

Miss Rachel Brand, prosecuting, said: "The problem between you was that she (Miss Ubhi) had grown into an adult and would not do as you told her."

Ubhi replied: "I think during the interview (with police) I stated that she was grown up, that she wanted to stand on her own two feet, that she wanted to be independent and that she could be responsible for her own expenses and she was not a burden on me."

The trial has previously heard Ubhi got into a scuffle with his daughter following an argument over the loudness of the TV.

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