Murdered Jessica Patel's family 'suffers daily'

Jessica Patel was described as a "gentle and innocent soul" by her sister

The family of a woman strangled by her husband so he could start a new life abroad with his boyfriend says they "suffer daily".

Mitesh Patel used a Tesco bag to kill his wife, Jessica, at their Middlesbrough home in May 2018.

He claimed she had been attacked by burglars while he was buying a takeaway pizza, but was found guilty of murder and jailed for at least 30 years.

Patel had planned to claim a £2m life insurance payout and move to Australia.

Jessica's family said the killer had used "coercion" to move her from the Halifax area and separate her from relations in Yorkshire and the Midlands.

"When they moved to Middlesbrough, I saw less and less of Jessica," her sister, Minal Patel, said.

"To me, looking at it now, it was a strategic move on his part so she didn't really have anyone at all [near her].

"It's now clear Jessica was facing domestic abuse. She was being emotionally abused and her mental state wasn't as well as it should have been."

Mitesh Patel had a series of affairs with men he met through the Grindr app

A two-week trial at Teesside Crown Court heard Patel claimed he had found his 34-year-old wife's wrists bound with duct tape when he returned with a pizza.

However, prosecutors said he had tied her up after injecting her with insulin. The shopping bag was then used a ligature and to suffocate her.

Ms Patel said she did not immediately have concerns about Patel's behaviour following her sister's death.

"He buried his head on my shoulder and cried. Obviously at that point, to me, he was being genuine, a grieving husband, so I wouldn't say there were any suspicions at that point."

She and her husband, Snahal, believe "more education is needed" around identifying signs of physical and emotional abuse.

"Jessica lost her life. We as a family suffer on a daily basis. It's something we're not going to be able to forget," said Ms Patel.

"He still gets to live and breathe. I just can't see the justice in that."

If you or someone you know has been affected by the issues raised in this story, you can find help and advice here.