'The devil took over my body'... says the 7ft Dutchman accused of stabbing to death 'wonderful' British tourist, 24, on Indian houseboat

Sarah Groves, 24, was stabbed 40 times in Kashmir on Saturday morning

Victim had been staying on boathouse for two months with boyfriend

Police arrested Richard de Wit 45 miles from alleged murder scene



Former public schoolgirl had been due to fly back to UK in one week

Family heard screams and an argument in early hours of morning

Examinations due to take place to discover full extent of injuries

A Dutch tourist accused of murdering a British former public schoolgirl in India claimed he launched his frenzied knife attack because he was possessed by the Devil.

The boyfriend of backpacker Sarah Groves yesterday said Richard de Wit, 43, coolly admitted the crime and told him: ‘I killed her – that’s it. The Devil took over my body.’

Miss Groves, 24, an ex-pupil of £30,240-a-year St Mary’s School in Ascot, Berkshire, was stabbed around 40 times on a houseboat near Kashmir’s capital Srinagar in the early hours of Saturday morning.

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Tragedy: Sarah Groves, 24, was an ex-pupil of £30,240-a-year St Mary’s School in Ascot, Berkshire

Police said the 24-year-old was found inside the boat and had suffered around 40 wounds Saeed Shoda (left) said he has spoken to Dutch national Richard de Wit, who was arrested about 45 miles from the scene of the suspected murder

The daughter of a wealthy businessman from Guernsey had been staying with her boyfriend Saeed Ahmed Shoda, 25, whom she met in the Indian resort of Goa in January.

Yesterday Mr Shoda, whose family own the New Beauty houseboat on the idyllic Dal Lake, said he had confronted de Wit, a 7ft cannabis user, and begged for answers.

Mr Shoda said de Wit’s response was brazen and ‘not normal’, adding: ‘I saw him at the police station and I asked him, why did you kill her?

‘The killer is not right in his head. He is not of this world. He doesn’t seem okay when you speak to him. He will not divulge anything about his crime, he has confessed to the crime but will not give any details.



Saeed Shoda described Miss Groves as 'perfect' and the pair were planning a trekking holiday together

Crime scene: Journalists and policemen stand outside the houseboat where Miss Groves was found dead on Saturday, on the Dal Lake in Srinagar, India

A police officer holding Sarah's hiking boots. She was a keen traveller and had raised money for a children's charity by climbing Mount Kilimanjaro

An officer bagging evidence. The boyfriend's family heard screaming and raised the alarm

'I want him hanged. He had no reason to kill her. She didn’t do anything wrong. I just don’t understand.’

Indian police said de Wit had confessed to the murder, which was allegedly carried out with a 12in knife.

A police officer with a pair of Sarah's shoes at the front entrance to her room on the houseboat

The Deputy Inspector General of Kashmir Police, Ahfadul Mujtaba, said: ‘We put him in front of the magistrates today and we now have him in our custody for a further ten days.

‘He has confessed to killing the girl but at this time he is not giving any further detail.’

De Wit had arrived at the lake two days earlier and was staying in a separate cabin on the same boat as Miss Groves, a former bank worker.

She was found at around 3am by Mr Shoda’s brother Irfan and father Abdul.

Irfan said she had desperately tried to phone for help during the attack and was found lying on her bed, clutching her phone and with cuts on her fingers. He said: ‘The Dutchman’s room was open. Sarah’s door was open, broken.

‘I used my torch and saw Sarah in a pool of blood on her bed. She was motionless and one of her hands was in her mouth.’ Officers said they had not ruled out sexual assault because the victim’s clothes had been torn. After the attack, de Wit fled in a stolen rowing boat, which capsized.

He swam to shore and was picked up by police, carrying his passport and with no shoes, 50 miles away in Qazigund after flagging down a taxi.

Saeed's brother Irfan said the police did not send forensic officers until a day after the crime

Sarah Groves' backpack is taken away for forensic tests by police

Indian policemen carry the coffin containing the body of Miss Groves

Investigation: The police station where the body of Sarah Groves is being kept

At the time of the murder, Mr Shoda had gone to see friends for the weekend and Miss Groves had remained with his family, who said she was ‘like a daughter’ to them.

He said: ‘I wish I hadn’t gone. I torture myself with those regrets now. She may still be alive if I was here or if she had come with me. I don’t know how I can come out of this trauma.

‘It was a very short time we were together but I will never forget her. She has left a mark on my life. She had a great wonderful soul.’

His mother Hafiza added: ‘She was a shy, lovely girl and called me mother in Kashmiri. Had we known the man had such evil intentions, we would have never let him stay. I’m devastated.’

Probe: River police investigate a boat on the lake where the houseboat is moored

The getaway boat believed to have been used by de Wit. Sarah painted 'No Woman No Cry' on the interior

Arrested: Dutch national Richard de Wit was arrested about 45 miles from the scene of the suspected murder

Inside: A pair of shoes (left) belonging to the 24-year-old woman from Guernsey are pictured on the houseboat in Srinagar

It is believed that Miss Groves travelled to Srinagar two months ago, intending to stay there for just four days On the evening before the attack, Miss Groves shared a vegetable stew with the family in their corrugated iron hut beside the houseboat. Hafiza tried to persuade her to stay the night with her, but she declined, saying she wanted to speak to her father and read a book. Her parents, Victor, 70, and Kate, 66, are understood to be preparing to fly to India. Her brother Tom, 31, yesterday launched an online campaign to get justice for his sister, writing: ‘She lit up so many people’s lives.’ The attack will be another blow to the Indian tourist industry after a 25 per cent drop in foreign visitors since a spate of sexual assaults on women over the past few months.

A policeman stands outside the houseboat, New Beauty. Sarah, a qualified fitness instructor had gone travelling in Africa and Asia after attending Chelsea College of Art and Design

Sarah Groves was allegedly stabbed to death on Dal Lake, a popular tourist destination

Owner: One of the sons of the boathouse owner Abdul Rahim Shoda (pictured) is also helping police with the inquiries, although he has not been arrested, according to reports

Shoes: An Indian policeman stands guard on a houseboat near a pair of shoes (left) belonging to Sarah Groves

Tribute: Messages of respect have been paid to Sarah on sites including Twitter

Family: The son of the houseboat owner said Sarah had been enjoying her time with the family

In December a 23-year-old physiotherapy student was gang-raped on a bus in the centre of Delhi and later died from her injuries.

In March a 39-year-old Swiss tourist was gang-raped while camping with her husband in woodland in central India.

A few days later in the northern city of Agra, a 31-year-old British tourist was forced to jump from a second floor balcony when she feared a sexual assault by the owner of her hotel, who was trying to get into her room at 4am.