A 79-year-old man has pleaded guilty to murdering his 77-year-old wife Maya Devi in Elm Park. 

Tarsame Singh handed himself into a police station near their home in Cowdray Way at around 9.30pm on May 2, 2023. 

A previous court hearing was told earlier that day he killed his wife with a rounders bat. 

Maya was found on the floor in the home having suffered severe injuries to her face. 

Singh appeared in the dock at Snaresbrook Crown Court on Monday morning (July 31) and pleaded guilty to the murder. 

The court heard that the couple's son had told police that there was a history of domestic violence in their marriage. 

However, Mr Singh’s defence counsel, Emlyn Jones KC, said: “Whilst he of course has accepted the charge of murder, he is aware of and is very troubled by his son’s description of violence in their marriage. He denies that there was ever violence.” 

The court heard that Singh believed his wife was being unfaithful. Mr Jones admitted: “It has never been, I’m afraid, a happy marriage. That much is true.” 

Singh is be sentenced at a later date. He faces a mandatory life sentence. 

The couple ran a post office in Rainham for many years before they retired. 

MailOnline reported that Maya was “a regular” at the Havering Asian Social and Welfare Association (HASWA) community centre.  

HASWA outreach worker Nirmala Leal recalled that close friend Maya was a “a lovely lady” and was “really warm-hearted”.  

She said: “I saw her just a few hours before her death, it doesn't seem real that I won't see her again.”