Two Indian international students were sentenced to three years in prison at Surrey Provincial Court for a fatal hit-and-run incident, and they are likely to be deported once released.
According to Surrey Police, on Jan. 27, 2024, Gaganpreet Singh and Jagdeep Singh were driving a red Ford Mustang in Surrey when they struck and dragged a 43‑year‑old Cree man, identified as Jason Albert Grey, for about 1.3 kilometres along University Drive before abandoning his body in the street. The victim was pronounced dead at the scene.
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Both men pleaded guilty in February to three criminal charges: dangerous operation of a conveyance, failure to stop after an accident, and interfering with a dead body. During the sentencing, Crown prosecutor Adam Jantunen emphasized that had the collision been accidental, it would still have been a tragedy, but what led to the sentencing was the behaviour that followed, CityNews reported.
Judge Mark Jetté, delivering the ruling, noted that the defendants could see the victim trapped beneath the vehicle. He said they were driving at an estimated speed of 70 kilometers per hour and then reversed in an attempt to dislodge the body. The judge said both men displayed indifference toward the victim, whose death, he added, caused deep loss to his family and the broader Indigenous community.
Both accused, aged 22 at the time of the incident, arrived in Canada from Punjab in 2022 on international student visas. Gaganpreet had recently graduated from Vancouver Community College, while Jagdeep was enrolled at a post-secondary institution in the Surrey area and had intended to apply for a post-study work permit. Neither had prior criminal records. Their lawyers told the court they accepted responsibility and expressed remorse through early guilty pleas.
Under Canadian immigration law, both are now subject to deportation proceedings initiated by the Canada Border Services Agency. Removal orders are already underway for Jagdeep, and a similar process is expected to begin for Gaganpreet after he completes his prison term, despite holding a valid study permit at the time of conviction.
Crown prosecutor Adam Jantunen said the case underscores that such offences will be treated with gravity, regardless of whether the offenders are international students or Canadian citizens.
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