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Two young men were sentenced to three years in jail Wednesday in Surrey Provincial Court for their part in a 2024 car crash that left a pedestrian dead after he was dragged for 1.3 kilometres.
Gaganpreet Singh and Jagdeep Singh, both 22, were both inside a Ford Mustang that struck and dragged the victim on Jan. 27, 2024, shortly before 2 a.m. The victim . (The family of the victim has asked for privacy and that their family member not be named.)
Wearing a green shirt and faded jeans, and a black shirt and khakis, Gaganpreet and Jagdeep were handcuffed and taken into custody after Judge Mark Jett茅 rendered their sentence, which included a three-year driving prohibition for both as well as three years' prison time.
The two, who were international students in January 2024, will also likely face deportation after their prison time is served.
Jett茅 said the 9-1-1 caller was still on the phone to police when he approached the Mustang after it struck the victim.
"They could see victim under the car," Jett茅 said. "Gaganpreet drove away at an estimated 70 kilometres an hour ... he stopped the car and reversed it in an attempt to dislodge (the victim)."
After driving away "with the deceased attached to the underside of the vehicle," the pair used a flashlight to try to help them dislodge the victim, multiple times.
Although the car belonged to Jagdeep, Gaganpreet was driving it when the victim was struck, the judge said.
"It is agreed that the victim, a 47-year-old, was alive before being struck by the Mustang," Jett茅 continued.
Jett茅 noted both young men had pleaded guilty in January, and had no prior criminal history, but also pointed out there are aggravating circumstances.
"Both displayed indifference ... (the victim's) injuries were horrific. I see no point in detailing here," he said, noting the immense impact on the victim's family and greater Indigenous family, and how he leaves behind a wife and nine-year-old child.
"Both pleaded guilty. I accept their remorse is genuine," said Jett茅.
Gaganpreet Singh and Jagdeep Singh "are jointly charged" on each of three counts, Jett茅 said: count 1 鈥� the dangerous operation of a conveyance; count 2 鈥� failing to stop at the scene of a hit-and-run and failing to offer assistance to injured parties; and count 3 鈥� improperly or indecently interfering with or offering any indignity to a dead body.
For counts 1 and 3, Jett茅 ordered 18-month sentences to be served consecutively, along with a concurrent 18-month sentence for count 2.
Defence counsel for Jagdeep Singh had been seeking a conditional sentence order of two years that would have meant no prison time, while the Crown and defence counsel for Gaganpreet Singh presented a joint submission in court on May 22, recommending he be sentenced to three years' jail, a three-year driving prohibition, and a DNA order. The Crown previously argued that Jagdeep Singh should be sentenced to four years in jail, followed by a three-year driving prohibition and a DNA order.
Jett茅 said both men are equally to blame.
"I find Gaganpreet and Jagdeep equally culpable," he said, adding it is "in the best interest of the administration of justice to authorize the DNA order."
After the sentencing, one woman consoled another female, who was weeping uncontrollably outside courtroom 101.
Outside the courthouse, Crown prosecutor Adam Jantunen said he thought the sentence for both was appropriate.
"I think His Honour's reasons were very well articulated, and he came to the conclusion that both accused were essentially equally culpable and imposed the same sentence for both, and I think it was a very fit and appropriate sentence," he said, noting both had been international students and will likely face deportation once their sentence is served.
"I think the sentence, overall, sends a message that these are very serious offences," Jantunen said.
