Murdered woman wanted a divorce but husband said he would not let her go

Olivia Kelleher

The brother of a woman who died after her throat was cut in a “single swipe” has said that she wanted a divorce, but her husband had told him that he would “not let her go".

Regin Parithapara Rajan (43) is on trial in Cork, charged with the murder of Deepa Paruthiyezhuth Dinamani (38) at Cardinal Court, Wilton, Cork, on July 14th, 2023.

Regin, Deepa and their five young son moved from their native India to Ireland four months before she was found dead in a blood-soaked bed at her terraced home. She had sustained a 14cm wound to her throat and died of massive blood loss. Chief State Pathologist Dr Linda Mulligan previously said in evidence that once the wound was inflicted, Deepa was breathing in and swallowing her own blood. The wound also left her unable to speak a single word.

On Friday Ullas Dinamani, the younger brother and only sibling of the late Deepa, gave evidence at a sitting of the Central Criminal Court in Cork via video link.

He said that Deepa, a native of Kerala, “was a really great human.”

“She was a great mother and sister. She was a good friend to me. All of the companies she worked for, they speak very highly of her. She had a good circle of friends. She was, of course, a help to their parents.

Mr Dinamani said that he was aware that Regin and Deepa were experiencing marital problems. He told the jurors and Ms Justice Siobhan Lankford that he paid for his brother-in-law to attend a therapist after the couple moved to Ireland in March 2023.

Mr Dinamani, who travelled to Ireland following the death of his only sibling, said that the couple had got married within a few months of meeting each other some years earlier. They had met via a website which sets up alliances for marriage.

He said that everything appeared to be going well in the marriage initially, but then the couple started developing problems.

Mr Dinamani said that he had talked to his brother-in-law about the situation.

“My sister wanted a divorce and Regin was not ready to. He said he will not let her go. I said that you should consult with a counsellor and find a solution.”

Mr Dinamani said that he told Regin that even if he and Deepa lived apart, they could work together so that they could both contribute to the life of their five-year-old son.

“I also said that it is up to them to make a decision. My sister gave him (Regin) the contact for a therapist and I was making payments for a therapist for Rejin.”

Under cross-examination by Brian McInerney, SC, counsel for Mr Rajan, Mr Dinamani agreed with the proposition that marriage and family is important in Indian culture.

When asked if divorce “was not favoured” in his country, he said that the proposition wasn’t “completely true.”

“It is always people’s choice. It is ultimately up to the couple.”

He agreed with the proposition put forward by McInerney that Deepa and Regin were effectively living as a unit under the same roof but were sleeping in separate bedrooms.

Mr McInerney said that the brother of the deceased had given a statement to gardaí in Ireland after her murder in which he said that he had never got the impression that his sister was “scared” or “frightened” of her husband. Mr Dinamani agreed that this was the case.

Meanwhile, Det Garda Alan Johnson said that the accused had stated in his garda interviews that he had been married for eight years and that he enjoyed being a father. Mr Rajan also told gardaí that he had married for love and got on well with his in-laws.

Mr Rajan said that he was suffering from depression but was not on medication. Mr Rajan also told gardaí that he found it hard to be without a job in Ireland and had been actively looking for work.

The trial also heard from Rejani Jose, a nurse at CUH who is from Kerala in India. She was renting a room at the home of Regin and Deepa in Cork. She said that Deepa was “good at everything.”

“She has excellent English, was good at organising and a good cook, excellent in everything in my view. But I am just a bystander. I don’t have an interpersonal relationship with her.”

Ms Jose said that Regin tried to “please” his wife, but she was “quite indifferent” to him.

“I used to think that he was trying to get her attention or love. They would never go out much as a family and nor were they active in the Indian community.”

The case will resume next Monday at 2 pm in front of the jury and Ms Justice Lankford.