NRI woman
sentenced 14 months in jail for stabbing daughter-in-law
Vancouver, September 18, 2007
Surinder Sahota
NRI mother-in-law Surinder Toor, 52, her daughter,
Parvinder Toor, 28, and her niece, Rajwansh Nijjar, 27, sat quietly
when Justice Kirsti Gill read her ruling:
- Surinder Toor, mother-in-law, sentenced to 14 months in jail
- Parvinder Toor daughter and Rajwansh Nijjar niece for 10
months in jail
In Nov, 2004, mother-in-law Surinder Toor met daughter-in-law
Reena Toor, 27, at a bus stop after work and forced her to a parked
car where the other two Parvinder Toor and Rajwansh Nijjar were
waiting. Surinder tried to hit her with a bat and stabbed her
in the stomach with a small knife as Nijjar held Reena's hair
and Parvinder prevented her from leaving. Court was told that
Parvinder yelled at Reena that she was a prostitute and used drugs.
In June, 2007, all three found guilty by
a jury of aggravated assault against Reena Toor:
- Surinder and Parvinder were convicted of uttering death threats
- Surinder and Nijjar were found guilty of committing assault
with a weapon.
- Surinder was guilty of obstructing justice by threatening
Reena if she reported the assault to police.
Crown prosecutor Kerr Clark told B.C. Supreme Court
that the three were jailed to show the justice system denounces
this type of violence.
Surinder"s (Defence) lawyer Russ Chamberlain
is expected to appeal the sentence, which would allow
them to apply for bail, meaning they would be released in a day
or two. Russ Chamberlain said:
- It was more appropriate sentence for the three would be conditional
sentences of two years, which would be served in the community
under partial house arrest.
- Nijjar was pregnant and was due to deliver in December and
suggested she shouldn't have to deliver her child in jail.
Daughter-in-law,
Reena testified:
- Toor family members put broken glass on her side of the couple's
bed, switched her pills, poisoned her food and denied her access
to the kitchen and laundry of the extended-family home.
Mother-in-law, Surinder Toor testified in
her own defence and said:
- Reena was threatening to stab herself with a screwdriver
the day the assaults happened. She told the B.C. Supreme Court
trial that Reena grabbed her by the throat and pushed her backward.
Parvinder Toor denied:
- Her sister-in-law, Reena Toor, including that she or other
family members put shards of glass in her bed.
Son Paul Toor & Reena:
Paul Toor liked to marry her girl friend Reena but mother Surinder
Toor did not want her son tho her. When Paul insisted, Surinder
told the bride she had to pay the family $50,000 for the marriage.
When Reena did not care Surinder's demand and married to Paul
then whole family became up set. After four months of marriage,
the couple had to leave the family's home.
Court heard that the family put glass in her bed, switched her
pills, poisoned her food and denied her access to the kitchen
and laundry of the extended-family home.
After hearing the guilty verdict, Reena Toor said: "I think
it's fair, as now I can feel that I got justice. I was totally
shocked to hear what I heard in court."
