By Emily Andrews
Last updated at 9:49 PM on 08th January 2010
Gurjeet Choough told how she and her fiancé were poisoned after eating re-heated curry
The grieving fiancée of the man allegedly poisoned by his former lover relived the horror of his death in court yesterday.
Gurjeet Choough, 23, told the Old Bailey that immediately after eating a chicken curry she and her fiancé Lakhvinder Cheema began to feel ill.
Just minutes later, she watched in horror as the 39-year-old became almost paralysed, lost his sight and begged 'please help'.
But she too then began to feel dizzy. She said everything went dark and she couldn't stand up as the poison took hold.
Miss Choough survived after two days in a coma but Mr Cheema, who had eaten more curry than her, died within hours of the meal.
Lakhvir Kaur Singh, 40, is accused of planting an ancient toxin known as the Queen of Poisons or aconite in leftover curry to kill Mr Cheema, her boyfriend of 16 years, and Miss Choough.
Although married herself, she was jealous that her lover had decided to marry and tried repeatedly to break up their relationship.
She had allegedly tried to poison him in December the previous year.
The court heard that two lodgers saw Singh entering Mr Cheema's house before putting something in the curry earlier in the day.
When Mr Cheema was told this by the pair as he was fighting for breath, he immediately suspected Singh of poisoning them.
Giving evidence, Miss Choough said on the evening of January 28 last year she had microwaved the leftover curry and then served it for the two of them at the dining table.
Mr Cheema, known as Lucky, had two helpings while they talked of their marriage, which was arranged for Valentine's Day. He then complained of feeling unwell.
Miss Choough said: 'He said that his face was becoming numb and when he touched it, he couldn't feel anything.
She added: 'Lucky said he couldn't see anything and he was losing all feeling in his body.'
Trial: Lakhvir Kaur Singh, left, is accused of planting an ancient toxin known as the 'Queen of Poisons' in leftover curry to kill Lakvhinder Cheema, right
By this point Mr Cheema had called an ambulance and telephoned his sister Narinder Khalon for help.
Wiping away tears, Miss Choough said: 'I was feeling the same as Lucky. Everything was going dark, I began to feel dizzy, I wasn't able to stand up and my tummy was hurting. Lucky also started vomiting.'
She added that Mr Cheema said the symptoms were the same as when he had spent a week in hospital in December 2008 after Singh had allegedly tried to poison him for the first time.
Mrs Khalon and her two sons arrived at the house in Feltham, West London, and again called for an ambulance but to no avail.
She then drove the couple to West Middlesex hospital. Mr Cheema died within an hour of arriving, but was able to name his alleged killer.
Although Miss Choough suffered the same symptoms, she was put into a medically induced coma to stabilise her heartbeat and made a full recovery.
Police later found two bags of aconite, also known as wolfsbane, thought to have come from India, in Singh's coat and in a handbag at her home in Southall, West London.
When she was arrested she claimed the herbs were for a neck rash.
She denies murder, attempted murder and administering poison. The case continues.
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