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Surrey sword attacker serving 15 months

Sword attack fueled by mistaken belief victim had something to do with attacker’s wife losing her job
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B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. (Photo: Tom Zytaruk).

A man who attacked a truck driver with a sword in Surrey on the mistaken belief the victim had something to do with his wife losing her job is serving a 15-month jail sentence, to be followed by two years’ probation.

Ravdeep Singh Brar, 33, pleaded guilty to assault on what would have been the first day of his trial, last October, in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. Justice Frits Verhoeven’s reasons for sentencing were posted Feb. 13.

Brar’s wife, whom he’d met in India in 2008, had been let go from her job at International Herbs Limited in Surrey and Brar “formed the opinion” that the victim, Manjinder Gill, had something to do with it, Verhoeven noted. “There is no evidence whatsoever to indicate that the victim actually had anything to do with the issue, that is, the termination of Ms. Brar.”

The attack happened on Feb. 7, 2015. Gill is a truck driver who works for International Herbs Limited.

The judge noted the attacker and victim hadn’t met before. “So they were strangers to each other. It was an extremely violent unprovoked attack on an unsuspecting individual. It was a crime that would be shocking to the community.

“He was attacked by Mr. Brar with a sword,” Verhoeven noted. “I did not get a detailed description of the sword, but I understood that it was a genuine weapon; that is a long-bladed edged weapon, something that could be expected to do serious damage, and it did.”

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Gill sustained a “severe” cut to his hand and a “shallow” cut to his shoulder. The judge noted Gill’s victim impact statement reveals he lost 18 months from work as a result “and continues to suffer from disability that affects his work. It has affected his personal sense of security and his personality. So the consequences have been serious to him practically, psychologically and emotionally.”

Brar 33, emigrated from India to Canada in 2000 and worked as a truck driver at a forest products company.

“I am advised that he has a large mortgage to pay,” Verhoeven said.

“The sentence is a serious one,” he declared. “It is proportional to the serious crime. Fifteen months in custody is a significant period of time. The two years’ probation is also an important part of the sentence. So I am satisfied that the sentence is fit.”



tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com

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About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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