A man has been convicted of murder after a woman was brutally attacked and killed in Smethwick last year.
Shara Millar’s body was tragically found by a member of the public just after 6am on 11 August on Woodburn Road. Shara was discovered with head injuries, and it was clear nothing could be done to save her.
A forensic post mortem examination showed Shara’s cause of death was strangulation.
Officers quickly launched a murder investigation and conducted fast paced CCTV enquiries.
Just before 1am, a white sprinter van was shown on CCTV footage pulling into Woodburn Road. At around 1.30am, Shara’s body was removed from the back of the van and left on the pavement. A liquid was also splashed and shaken over Shara’s body.
Earlier in the night, the van was seen on Soho Road, Handsworth and Shara, aged 41, was seen getting in the van on Victoria Road.
Further enquiries revealed the van was registered to a rental company and was being used as a business vehicle for parcel delivery. We discovered that Tanveer Singh was in possession of the van at the time of the offence.
Officers attended the home address of Singh and was stopped in a vehicle near his house. The 32-year-old was arrested on suspicion of murder and subsequently charged.
Following a two-week trial, Singh of Leopard Lane, West Bromwich was convicted of murder and will be sentenced on 27 May.
DI Joe Davenport, Homicide Unit, said: “Shara was brutally killed by a dangerous predator.
“Singh was drinking in a pub earlier in the night and visited Soho Road to look for sex workers. He then picked Shara up in his van and she was fatally attacked.
“He attempted to get rid of any trace of his presence by pouring a liquid over Shara’s body to destroy any forensic evidence.
“My thoughts are with Shara’s loved ones, and I thank them for the support during this investigation and trial.”
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