The face of the ‘Benefits Street’ thief was caught when the neighbor made a gruesome discovery

This is the face of a serial killer who ripped off one of his neighbors on Birmingham’s so-called ‘Benefits Street’. Harminder Singh broke into the home of a family of seven as they slept on James Turner Street in Winson Green, which was made famous by a Channel 4 show in 2014. Neither he nor the victims appeared in time schedule.

Singh, 44, who has committed almost 170 murders in his life, stole a PlayStation 5 from the property. He claimed he later heard the children in the house crying over the loss and that he “couldn’t live with the consequences”. However, he continued to quickly sell the game console for a quick profit.

But Singh made a critical mistake by dropping a Nokia phone with the flashlight lit inside the house. Within minutes of fleeing the address, he returned to retrieve it and told the family he had been robbed of it, as well as two laptops.

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When they made the horrifying realization that he was the real thief, they locked him inside until the police arrived. Singh, who lived in an HMO off James Turner Street, admitted the theft and was sentenced to 27 months at Birmingham Crown Court on Wednesday 17 July.

The burglary took place in the early hours of May 14 this year. One of the male occupants awoke after hearing someone moving furniture in the living room.

He then noticed the front door was open and found the Nokia phone on the floor. Prosecutor Maninder Chaggar said: “Approximately five minutes later the defendant turned up at the address and told the family that two laptops and a mobile phone had been stolen from him.”

She stated that the family initially felt sorry for Singh and let him in. Ms Chaggar continued: “He goes straight into the front room and starts looking around at the floor where the phone was found. (The occupant) realizes that this could very well be a thief.

“He ordered his son to lock the front door and the police were called. Within minutes the police arrived. He was able to hold the defendant in his property.”

Singh maintained his lie to the police, claiming he saw a hooded culprit stealing his belongings and “assuming” they were black. He has 68 previous convictions for 168 offences, including 70 theft offences, although this was his first home burglary.

Singh also violated court orders 24 times. Ragveer Chand, defending, told the court his client had recently become a father for the first time. He said: “As a consequence of becoming a father for the first time, this defendant is determined to put his past firmly behind him. Sometimes those life-changing events can be the catalyst for people to put their past behind them.

“The defendant’s instructions are that, hearing the children crying when he was outside the address, he simply could not live with the consequences of depriving them of their PS5. Perhaps there is a degree of skepticism because the court knows it was not recovered. “

Judge Avik Mukherjee said Singh’s first burglary was a “significant change” and an “escalation” of his offending. He also questioned the claim that he was ready to change his ways and said: “Your partner must have been pregnant in March, April and May, which didn’t stop you from realizing that it’s a life that you have to leave it behind for your newborn baby. .

“However, if this is something that will convince you that this is a road that needs to end, that bodes well for the future.”