The family of a B.C. pastor killed in a fiery crash is calling for reforms to the province’s justice system in cases involving mental health.
Pastor Tom Cheung was killed in May 2019 when another vehicle slammed into his minivan in a border lineup.
Washington state resident Gurbinder Singh, 40, pleaded not guilty to dangerous driving causing death, but in April, provincial court Judge Daniel Weatherly dismissed the charge, ruling that his mental state had been profoundly impaired at the time of the collision.
The court had heard Singh was certified under the Mental Health Act after the collision and had suffered a mental health crisis the day before the crash.
Cheung’s family called it a huge injustice.
“He killed my husband,” Athens Cheung, the victim’s widow, told Global News. “It’s so hurt to my family.”
Cheung’s family said the ruling showed just how profoundly broken the system has become.
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“The RCMP officer handling the case changed twice,” Solomon Cheung, Tom’s son, said.
“The prosecutor also changed suddenly. And this signals to me that in the eyes of the government, really, my father’s death, my family suffering, it’s all just a minor inconvenience to them.
“In their eyes, we are the metaphorical can that is being kicked down the road.”
The family said they were left exhausted by the entire process, which lasted almost six years.
” To me, this Mental Health Act is just a giant façade,” Solomon said.
“It doesn’t help victims suffering from mental health issues. It’s just the use of the shield for criminals.”
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