Man guilty of murdering registered sex offender

Nathaniel Sereaton is waiting to be sentenced after being convicted of murder

A man with an interest in martial arts has been convicted of murdering a registered sex offender.

Luton Crown Court heard how Sukhjinder Singh-Gill, 57, had been strangled and was found dead at his home in Althorp Road, Luton, in November 2024.

Nathaniel Sereaton, 42, told the court he got angry after Mr Sukhjinder Singh-Gill offered him money for sex, but had never intended to harm him.

Sereaton, of Milliners Court, Luton, denied murder, but jurors returned a unanimous guilty verdict on Monday.

Judge John Hillen remanded Sereaton in custody and said he would pass sentence on 10 September.

He said Sereaton would be given a mandatory life sentence and told how many years he must spend in jail before parole could be considered.

Prosecutors said Mr Singh-Gill had been killed following an argument over borrowing money.

Richard Christie KC, who led the prosecution team, told jurors how his body was found by a builder.

He said Mr Singh-Gill had a cord wrapped around his hands and neck.

Police initially thought that Mr Singh-Gill had died by suicide, he said.

Further investigation showed he had been strangled.

Sukhjinder Singh-Gill was found dead at his Luton home in November

Mr Christie said a neighbour had seen a man matching Sereaton's description visiting the bedsit.

He also told jurors Sereaton had tried to sell Mr Singh-Gill's phone.

Sereaton was "extremely muscley" and had been involved in martial arts, he said.

Jurors heard that Mr Singh-Gill had "severe heart disease".

Sereaton told jurors he got angry after Mr Singh-Gill offered him money for sex and grabbed him around the neck.

Sereaton said he wanted to stop Mr Singh-Gill doing "what he was doing".

He told the trial how he had known the older man, who lived alone, for many years and saw him regularly.

He said he had stayed with Mr Singh-Gill's family for "a while" when he was younger.

Sereaton said he was "close" to Mr Singh-Gill and had never intended to harm him.

Mr Christie told jurors that Mr Singh-Gill had a history of sex offending dating back to the early 1980s.

He listed indecent assaults on males and females and said Mr Singh-Gill had been placed on the sex offenders register in 2002.

Mr Christie said Mr Singh-Gill was being "supervised" until he died.

Juror also heard that Sereaton also had a history of offending, and of mental health difficulties and drug-taking.

Mr Christie said Sereaton had convictions dating back to 2001 for crimes including robbery, burglary and drug supply.

Nathaniel Sereaton was found guilty of murder after a trial at Luton Crown Court

Det Chief Insp Nick Gardner, a member of the Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire and Hertfordshire major crime unit, said, after the hearing that Mr Singh-Gill's family had been "deeply shocked" by the "circumstances of his death".

"Despite Sereaton's confession to police, he clearly made attempts to conceal his actions and proceeded to be tried before a jury who have found him guilty of murder," added Det Chief Insp Gardner

"This was a violent attack on a vulnerable man who could not defend himself. It's clear that Sereaton is a dangerous individual."