Man found naked and surrounded by Champagne guilty of bludgeoning father to death with ‘bottle of Bollinger’

A man who bludgeoned his elderly father to death with a bottle of Champagne in a drunken rage is facing life in jail.

Deekan Singh Vig was found guilty on Friday of murdering 86-year-old shopkeeper Arjan Singh Vig at the family home in Southgate, north London.

The Old Bailey had heard how officers found the body of Mr Vig on the evening of Saturday 30 October, 2021, on the floor of his son’s bedroom with his “head caved in”.

His 54-year-old son was naked and surrounded by about 100 bottles of Champagne, including blood-stained bottles of Veuve Cliquot and Bollinger.

“I killed my dad. I hit him over the head with a f***ing bloody bottle of Bollinger champagne,” he said.

Prosecutor Deanna Heer KC had said the victim had been hit repeatedly in the face and head with a full bottle of Champagne, causing extensive injuries and almost immediate death.

Jurors heard how Vig had lived with his father and mother in their four-bedroom detached home for about 40 years.

The court was told he had developed a taste for alcohol during the COVID lockdown.

On the evening of the killing, Mrs Vig heard vomiting noises from her son’s room and he told her he had consumed half a bottle of whisky, jurors heard.

The last thing she saw was her husband comforting their son, but she called her daughter when he appeared to get “out of control”.

She then dialled 999.

When police arrived, the defendant told them he could not open the door, saying: “You’re too late. He’s been dead for an hour.”

Once officers gained entry, they saw Mr Vig’s head had been “severely caved in” and it was obvious he was dead.

The defendant, who was naked and had blood on his hands, feet and legs, was Tasered and detained.

Later, he wept as he said: “My dad is dead. I killed my dad. I hit him over the head with a f***ing bloody bottle of Bollinger champagne. Why did I kill my dad?”

At the crime scene, police found 100 bottles of Champagne, 10 Amazon delivery boxes of whisky bottles, and an empty bottle of Talisker Scotch on the bed.

Beside Mr Vig’s body were two bottles of Champagne – one Veuve Cliquot and the other Bollinger – with a “significant amount” of blood on them.

Vig had denied murder but admitted manslaughter on the basis that he did not intend to cause his father really serious harm.

A jury deliberated for less than a day to find him guilty of murder on Friday.

Judge Angela Rafferty adjourned sentencing until 10 February and remanded Vig in custody.

Source:   news.sky.com