text: Jailed for life: Naunihal Singh woke up his daughter-in-law’s father and slashed him with a kitchen knife . A Sikh optician who slit the throat of his daughter-in-law’s father who was in bed after a drunken family row has been jailed for life. Naunihal Singh, 54, woke up great-grandfather Ujjal Singh, 63, and slashed him with a kitchen knife at his son and daughter-in-law’s home. The attack  in Crumpsall, Manchester, came after a heated argument over the couple's lack of children - with  Ujjal accusing Naunihal's son Yawinder-Pal ‘Monty’, 37, of 'firing blanks'. Today, Naunihal was jailed at Manchester Crown Court for at least 17 years and 39 days after admitting murder. The court was told that at the time of the killing last November, Naunihal and his wife Jaswant, who live in India, were paying a visit to Monty, and their daughter-in-law Balvinder, 42. Also there were Balvinder’s parents Jaginder and Ujjal from Ipswich, Suffolk - and the latter became angry at Monty for the couple’s failure to have children - accusing him of ‘firing blanks’. After an afternoon in the pub and an evening meal, Ujjal went to bed - but tensions escalated and Monty smashed a photo frame with his hand, which saw relatives take him to hospital. As Ujjal lay in bed, Naunihal sat at the kitchen table drinking vodka before taking a kitchen knife from a drawer. He then went into the bedroom, grabbed Ujjal’s jaw and slit his throat. When the family returned from the hospital and found Ujjal’s blood-soaked body, an ambulance was called where one paramedic noticed Monty move the knife and told police. Monty was soon arrested on suspicion of murder. Great-grandfather: Murder victim Ujjal Singh (front right) with his daughters (back row, from left) Tipta Kaur-Singh, Shakuntla Kaur-Singh, Piaro Kaur-Singh, Sindy Kaur-Singh, and (front left) his son Amolak Singh . Naunihal had already fled with his passport and tickets to fly back to India from Birmingham Airport - and got all the way to the terminal where he asked about changing his flights. It is believed he was then told of Monty's arrest and later handed himself in. Two days after the killing, he walked into a Manchester police station, where he said: ‘My son is innocent, I’m guilty.’ While demonstrating a ‘slashing’ motion, he added: ‘I’m guilty, I got the knife and I cut him like this... you let my son go. I love my son.’ Mark Kellet, prosecuting, said: ‘During the evening, Monty and Balvinder cooked dinner for the family. Monty, the defendant and Ujjal continued to drink. ‘(That) evening, the atmosphere became more argumentative. They argued about money and the fact that Monty and Balvinder did not have any children, with Ujjal blaming Monty for this. ‘As the argument developed, the exchanges became heated. Jaswant and Jaginder tried to calm Ujjal down and he was taken to bed. Jaginder went upstairs and put him into his pyjamas. Scene: The attack in Crumpsall, Manchester, came after a heated argument over the couple's lack of children . ‘Monty then smashed a photograph frame and his hand was bleeding. Balvinder, Jaswant and Jaginder took Monty to hospital for treatment on his hand, which was bleeding. 'As Monty and the others left, the defendant said: "There is going to be a price to pay for the loss of your blood". The group arrived at the hospital at about 11.10pm and returned home just after 1.10am. When they returned, Jaginder went into the bedroom to check on her husband to find blood around his neck and a knife on his chest. Ujjal was pronounced dead in hospital one hour and 20 minutes later. While at the house, paramedic Adam Wain saw Monty move the knife from the bedroom and informed the police, who subsequently arrested him. Naunihal handed himself in to police the following day where he told an officer that the police ‘had the wrong man’. 'Awful incident': Senior Investigating Officer Bob Tonge (centre) of Greater Manchester Police speaks outside Manchester Crown Court today with Ujjal's family. He said the case is 'tragic from start to finish' In interview, he said he took the knife into the upstairs bedroom where Ujjal was sleeping ‘to scare him’ because he had been abusive about his son. He later told officers Ujjal was on his back on the bed, staring at him. He told police: ‘I don’t know what I did. And now when I hear all these things, then I realise that maybe I have killed him. ‘He was scaring me with his eyes and he was swearing at me so... and he was coming at me and I just did like that and it just happened very quickly... and I was scared and he was bleeding.’ Mr Kellet said: ‘He stated that he was angry with Ujjal so took a knife from the kitchen to scare him. When he was in the bedroom, he was scared by Ujjal’s eyes. ‘Ujjal sat up in bed and somehow came into contact with the knife. He said that he panicked because of the blood and left the house. His passport and tickets to fly from Birmingham Airport were coincidentally in his coat pocket.’ Return journey: Naunihal had already fled with his passport and tickets to fly back to India from Birmingham Airport (above) - and got all the way to the terminal where he asked about changing his flights . After the case Senior Investigating Officer Bob Tonge of Greater Manchester Police said: ‘This case is tragic from start to end and what should have been a normal family gathering ended in absolute tragedy. ‘Two families have been destroyed by this awful incident, which basically stemmed from a family argument and was fuelled by alcohol. ‘While alone with the victim, and feeling slighted and offended by comments directed at his son, Naunihal Singh callously went into Ujjal Singh’s room and without a second thought, stabbed him as he slept. ‘He then fled, leaving his son, daughter-in-law and her family to discover his heinous crime. ‘The one saving grace is that he has not subjected them to further torment by making them endure a trial and has faced up to his crime and subsequent, inevitable punishment.’ In a statement Ujjal’s family said: ‘A true testament to his character was his ability to interact with his elders, his peers and also the younger generation that he was surrounded by. ‘He will be fondly remembered by all his family, he will never be replaced and never be forgotten.’ Ujjal was also described by relatives as a 'well-respected member of the Sikh community', while the court was told that the death had 'rocked the Sikh community in the area'.
target: Naunihal Singh stabbed great-grandfather Ujjal Singh with kitchen knife .
  Came after argument over his son and daughter-in-law's lack of children .
  Was visiting son Monty, 37, and daughter-in-law Balvinder, 42, last year .
  Naunihal jailed for at least 17 years in Manchester after admitting murder .