An investment banker who killed his wife in a “brutal and sustained attack” where he inflicted more than 120 wounds on her with an axe and knife was jailed for life yesterday.

Sonita Nijhawan, 38, who had wanted a divorce, was found lying in a bloodbath after her husband Sanjay attacked her, leaving her with a series of harrowing injuries at their home in Crossfield Place, Weybridge.

Nijhawan, 46, was convicted of manslaughter by a jury 11-1 in October, but his sentencing was adjourned until yesterday so a psychiatric report could be prepared to assess his anxiety and depression.

A judge told Nijhawan he still had “significant culpability” for his horrific crime despite his mental illness after the court heard he conducted internet research to find the soft part of a human skull before the attack.

His trial heard that Mrs Nijhawan wanted to divorce her depressed husband shortly after he quit his job, despite a £670,000 mortgage on their newly-built home looming over his head.

Nijhawan waited for his wife to come downstairs in the early hours of May 21, 2016, before he took the axe from his back pocket and attacked her.

He inflicted 124 significant injuries to his wife’s body including 40 cut and blunt force injuries to her head, of which 18 were to the back of the head, 11 to the side and 10 to the left hand side of her skull.

There were also 25 stab wounds to the left side of her neck. A pathologist gave the cause of her death as head and neck injuries.

Nijhawan had accepted brutally killing his wife, but claimed it was on the grounds of diminished responsibility after his battle with depression spiralled out of control and he felt he had “no option” but to kill her.

At Guildford Crown Court, defence barrister Orlando Pownall, said: “He did not kill her for reasons of revenge, jealousy or punishment.

“He killed her at a time when he was labouring under the influence of moderate to severe depression which caused him to lose rational judgement.”

Sally O’Neill, prosecuting, told the court Nijhawan had no previous convictions.

A letter written by Nijhawan expressing his remorse was read to the court.

In his sentencing remarks, Judge Robert Fraser, said: “On September 28, you pleaded not guilty to the murder of your wife but guilty to manslaughter by reason of diminished responsibility. The jury found you not guilty of murder but guilty manslaughter.

“You attacked and you killed your wife at your new home. It was in any view a brutal and sustained attack where you used a axe to hit her and knife to stab her.

“You inflicted 120 wounds, targeting her head, her neck and her thighs. You used an axe first, stab wounds to her thighs were inflicted after she lost a great deal of blood.

“I’ve taken into account your previous good character, plea to manslaughter and mitigation on your behalf.

“However risks have not disappeared. My conclusion is there is a significant risk of offences causing serious harm to the public in particular any future intimate partners.”

He concluded: “The sentence I pass is one of life imprisonment.

“From that figure, I sentence you to a minimum term of 10 years, your time on remand brings me to a term of nine years and 172 days.”