When Japkirat Singh was convicted in a Toronto courtroom last week of dangerous street racing that caused the death of an innocent woman, he was thousands of miles away.
According to his lawyer Charn Gill, Singh was still in India due to his father's illness and was unable to return to Canada because his work permit expired in June 2025 and his renewal application was rejected a few months ago.
How was he allowed to travel to India?
The question is why he was allowed to travel to India in the first place. After two judgment days came and went last month without Singh in person, Superior Court Justice Sean Nishikawa proceeded with his decision on April 30. According to the ruling, shortly after midnight on Dec. 18, 2021, Singh and co-worker Nazir Abdulqayoum finished their shift at a Pizza Nova call centre and were racing along Lawrence Avenue East.
A few minutes later, the decision stated, Abdulqayoum's white Toyota slammed into the blue Nissan driven by Lynda MacIver, who was making a left turn onto Pharmacy Avenue. MacIver, 57, had no chance, according to the ruling. Abdulqayoum, travelling at over 120 km/h in a 50 km/h zone, never applied his brakes. MacIver died in hospital from blunt-force trauma to her chest and abdomen. His passenger, Nishan Arampu, required nine surgeries and spent seven months in hospital.
Other person involved pleaded guilty
Two years later, Abdulqayoum pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death. The ruling does not mention the sentence he received. Singh went to trial, insisting he was not racing with Abdulqayoum and it was just coincidence he was driving on the same stretch of Lawrence at the time. The decision noted he did not dispute that his speed reached 109 km/h in his Ford Fusion, but testified he was on the phone with his mother in India and did not notice his speed. He also insisted he did not know his colleagues were involved in the crash until he checked on the occupants.
The judge found his testimony hard to believe. Based on concerns about Singh's credibility, the decision stated the court would not rely on his evidence unless corroborated. Nishikawa found he was driving dangerously by racing on a well-travelled stretch of Lawrence at twice the posted limit. The judge wrote that Singh's conduct endangered and created a risk of serious injury or death to drivers and pedestrians in the area that night.
Unclear if Singh will return to Canada
The judge also noted Singh had only acquired his G2 licence six months before the crash. In the circumstances, Singh's participation in the race with Abdulqayoum created a grave risk of death or injury to other road users because of the high speed. A reasonable person in Singh's position would recognize the foreseeable risk of immediate and substantial harm that driving in that manner posed to himself, other drivers, and innocent third parties. Singh's driving was therefore a significant contributing cause of MacIver's death and the serious bodily harm suffered by Arampu.
But will he return to face Canadian justice? His lawyer did not respond to a request for comment. On April 21, after Singh appeared virtually from India rather than in person, Nishikawa issued a bench warrant for Singh's arrest. The matter returns to court in June.
