A truck driver from Brampton, Ont., who was convicted of smuggling $7.5-million worth of drugs into Canada, allegedly fled the country after a court denied a request from the Crown to revoke his bail.<\/p>\n
The Crown made the request on Feb. 3, the same day Ontario Superior Court Justice George King delivered a guilty verdict in the case of the driver, Charanpreet Singh, according to court documents. Crown attorney Stephane Marinier, who handled the case, had argued that the seriousness of the charges warranted the bail order being removed. <\/p>\n
In late June, days before Mr. Singh was due to be sentenced, he allegedly cut off his GPS ankle monitor and is believed to have left Canada, according to police and Mr. Marinier.<\/p>\n
Canada\u2019s bail laws have been a topic of controversy for several years amid concern about rising levels of violent crime. The court\u2019s decision to allow Mr. Singh to remain out of custody after his conviction is a scenario that new federal bail reform legislation is intended to help prevent, in part by placing the burden on the accused in certain cases to persuade judges that their bail should not be revoked. (Under pre-existing law, the Crown usually bears that burden.)<\/p>\n
But the new legislation, Bill C-14, received royal assent only last month and does not go into effect until next week.<\/p>\n
Ottawa calls on provinces to enforce new, stricter bail laws<\/a><\/p>\n Mr. Singh was found guilty in February of four charges related to possessing and importing drugs for trafficking, according to court documents. Justice King sentenced him to 15 years in prison in June, despite him not attending court. <\/p>\n He was arrested on April 8, 2022, at a Blue Water Bridge border crossing for driving a semi-truck carrying 55 kilograms of cocaine and five kilograms of heroin across the Canada-U.S. border at Point Edward into Southern Ontario, according to the documents. The village is located roughly 90 kilometres north of Windsor.<\/p>\n Mr. Singh was initially granted $55,000 bail in April in a Sarnia courtroom after $5,000 was deposited and his sister pledged $50,000. The bail amount rose by $10,000 to $65,000 after another individual signed onto the bail. <\/p>\n As part of his bail conditions, he was ordered to live in Brampton with his sister and wear a GPS monitor. He also needed to remain in Ontario and not get a new or replacement passport or renew any existing ones. <\/p>\n Mr. Marinier said that while it\u2019s rare for people to violate their bail after a conviction, the risk is higher when someone doesn\u2019t have \u201cdeep roots\u201d in Canada and their family is abroad. <\/p>\n \u201cIf ever there was a moment in time where the risk of flight was real, it\u2019s that moment in time when he now faces sentencing,\u201d he said, referring to Mr. Singh\u2019s case. <\/p>\n