The man who was behind the wheel in a Surrey hit-and-run where the victim’s body was found more than a kilometre from where he was struck has pleaded guilty.
Gaganpreet Singh pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, failing to stop at the scene of a collision and interfering with a body at Surrey Provincial Court on Monday.
Singh declined to comment outside the courthouse, but his lawyer Gagan Nahal called the Jan. 27, 2024 collision a “very tragic incident.”
“It was a winter evening that night, it was dark outside and there was someone laying on the road … so he wasn’t really visible — unfortunately, we don’t know if that person was already deceased beforehand, but the vehicle struck that pedestrian,” Nahal said.
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“We can’t bring back a loved one here, but Mr. Singh did the right thing today and he showed his remorse by entering guilty pleas. He’s not denying or minimizing his involvement in what happened that night.”
Singh did not plead guilty to a fourth charge in the incident of attempting to pervert justice.
At the time of the crash, Surrey RCMP said the victim, known as J.G., was struck around 1:40 a.m. in the roadway north on University Drive at 104 Avenue.
A witness reported seeing a red Ford Mustang strike the man before driving away.
Nahal said Singh was in Canada from India on a study permit.
He said Singh hoped to remain in the country, but was aware that his plea could jeopardize his immigration status in Canada.
A second man, Jagdeep Singh, was also charged in the case, and is due in court later this month.
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