Mundill Mahil: Redbridge mayor-elect quits over wife's criminal past

Mundill Mahil was jailed in 2012 at the Old Bailey

A newly elected mayor has stepped down as it transpired his wife had been convicted for her part in the killing of a TV executive.

Mundill Mahil, 27, was jailed for six years after she was found to have lured Gagandip Singh who was later beaten and left to die in a burning car in 2011.

After her release she married Redbridge councillor Variner Singh-Bola in 2016.

Mr Singh-Bola says he has now "withdrawn" his name from becoming the next Mayor of Redbridge.

He told the Local Democracy Reporting Service: "I stand united with my beloved wife and my wider family.

"They have always loved and supported me and now it is my time to shield them from public speculation and hearsay."

Mahil's conviction for grievous bodily harm in 2012 came after she enticed Mr Singh to her student flat in Brighton.

Gagandip Singh, from Bexleyheath, was found dead inside the boot of a burnt-out Mercedes

Mr Singh, 21, was then beaten over the head by another man, tied up and thrown into the back of a Mercedes, which was set alight.

In 2012 Mahil was jailed for three years after being convicted of causing grievous bodily harm and she was released on licence in 2014.

Redbridge Council leader Jas Athwal accepted Mr Singh-Bola's decision and said it would now look for a new mayoral candidate.