性视界传媒 man Harpreet Singh, 39, has been sentenced to 10 years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter and two counts of aggravated assault for stabbing his sister-in-law to death and also stabbing her daughter, 2, and father, 72.
He has been in custody since his 2020 arrest. After credit for time served, his remaining prison term is four years and 15 days.
Singh stabbed Baljit Kaur multiple times in her head, shoulder, thigh and abdomen with a large kitchen knife as she held her daughter in her arms. The attacks happened on Oct. 20, 2020 at a townhouse in the 12700-block of 66 Avenue in Newton.
Singh will be deported with no right to appeal after getting out of prison to either Australia or India, being a citizen of both countries. He immigrated to Canada in 2016 and has permanent resident status here.
Crown prosecutor Mark Bussanich argued for a "fit" prison sentence of 12 years while defence lawyer Glen Orris submitted his client's crimes warrant no more than eight.
Singh was originally charged with second-degree murder in Kaur's death but pleaded guilty to the lesser included crime of manslaughter, as well as aggravated assault in the cases of Jagjit Singh, 72, and the toddler, who has only been identified as M.K.
All three were taken to hospital, where Kaur died.
Justice Martha Devlin delivered Singh's sentence on Wednesday, Oct. 9 in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster.
Singh pleaded guilty almost four years after the crimes, after five trial dates were set. No victim impact statements were tendered.
The court heard he was quick to rage and had been experiencing "auditory hallucinations" on a number of occasions since his marriage broke down in 2018.
"He also reported hearing voices in the immediate lead-up to the offences, instructing him to kill Baljit," Devlin noted. The voices apparently ceased once the stabbings began.
"Mr. Singh was overcome by rage in the commission of the offence. Baljit was defenceless when Mr. Singh attacked her. Baljit was attacked in the presence of M.K., a two-year-old child. Moreover, Baljit held M.K in her arms when Mr. Singh attacked her."
His attack on Kaur continued after the toddler fell to the floor and began to cry. "Mr. Singh attacked Baljit in her own home, where she should have felt safe," the judge noted.
"The gravity of the manslaughter in this case, and Mr. Singh's personal responsibility in the commission of the offences, falls on the moderate to high end of the manslaughter spectrum," Devlin decided.
