Life imprisonment for Thissara, the husband who murdered UK's Nirodha Newnham

The Cardiff Crown Court has sentenced 37-year-old Thisara Weeragalage to life imprisonment with a minimum term of 23 years for the brutal murder of his estranged wife in Cardiff, UK. The victim, identified as Nirodha Kalpani Niwunhella, also known as Nirodha, was killed in a car park in the Riverside area in August.

It was revealed in court that the husband committed the murder out of extreme jealousy stemming from a relationship she had developed with a colleague at her workplace.

Weeragalage, who knew in advance that Nirodha would arrive at the car park on the morning of the murder, brutally attacked her there with a 15-centimeter kitchen knife. She died at the scene between two parked cars due to severe stab wounds to her face, neck, chest, arms, and legs. Prosecutor Michael Jones stated that the attack was so inhumane and brutal that the handle of the knife used in the assault had broken off.

Several witnesses, including a person walking a dog, saw the killer speeding away in his Ford Fiesta car. They later saw Nirodha's lifeless body and reported it to the authorities. A short while later, Weeragalage, behaving erratically in the Tremorfa area, attempted to commit suicide by jumping in front of a lorry's wheel. However, he was not seriously injured and was arrested by the police after being hospitalized. An opened parcel containing blood-stained gloves and knives was found in his car.

The couple married in Sri Lanka in 2017 and migrated to the UK in 2022 with the aim of fulfilling their professional and educational aspirations. However, due to not finding the expected jobs, Nirodha took a job at an adult care center, and by then, many problems had already arisen in their marriage. Nirodha had told her colleague, James Stevenson, that she was experiencing physical abuse from her husband and that they had sexual problems.

Upon learning of this friendship, Weeragalage began to stalk and spy on them. Due to potential threats to himself and Nirodha, Stevenson temporarily ended the relationship. However, by April 2025, Nirodha and Weeragalage had begun living separately. Weeragalage repeatedly pressured Nirodha's father in Sri Lanka and Stevenson through phone calls and text messages, stating that he could not live without his wife. Later, Stevenson and Nirodha rekindled their relationship, and Nirodha informed a friend via text message that her husband was threatening to kill both of them.

Prosecutor Emma Davies told the court that the murder was meticulously planned, and the perpetrator had purchased murder weapons and scouted the area several times in preparation. Sentencing Weeragalage, Judge Daniel Williams stated that Nirodha's life was prematurely lost due to the defendant's jealousy and cruel selfishness. Nirodha's family issued a statement saying that she was a kind person loved by everyone and that her loss was an irreplaceable void for their family.