A Windsor man has been sentenced to two years less a day after pleading guilty to gun charges, which were laid following a head-on car crash.
Satvir Singh, 23, was sentenced on Wednesday after previously pleading guilty in November 2018 to charges of carrying a prohibited weapon in a careless manner, possession of a prohibited weapon, and possession of prohibited firearms with ammunition.
The weapons were discovered after the car Singh, then 21, was driving was involved in a head-on collision with another vehicle on Highway 3 in April 2017.
The Crown was seeking a three-year sentence while defence attorney Maria Caroccia asked for a two-year sentence. She noted that Singh had spent 20 months on bail living under what she said were strict conditions. Ontario Court Justice Lloyd Dean considered a sentence of two years and seven months but provided credit for the time Singh spent living under house arrest while on bail. Singh also spent 23 days in pre-sentence custody, which was factored into the decision.
Dean told the court that by pleading guilty, Singh was taking responsibility and showing remorse. He also acknowledged Singh’s lack of previous criminal record and praised him for his actions following the crash, including attending school and being employed full time.
Caroccia echoed the statements that her client has expressed remorse since the incident.
"He is very remorseful, he regrets ever involving himself in something like this. He doesn't have any other record, he's been working. So hopefully he can put this behind him now that he's sentenced and move forward," said Caroccia.
The passenger of the vehicle, Tariq Elamin of Toronto, pleaded not guilty and chose to proceed with a trial which is currently ongoing.
Dean said it wasn’t up to the court to speculate where the two men were headed that day without proper evidence. Court heard that emergency responders at the scene of the crash found Singh in possession of a sawed-off shotgun. He was also wearing a bandolier with readily available ammunition capable of discharge and was believed to be under the influence of drugs.
"It's not entirely clear what Mr. Singh was up to that day, but clearly it was not anything good," said Dean. "But, that's as far as we can go with it."
Caroccia said rumours that Singh was on his way to St. Clair College are untrue but other than that she's uncertain where they were headed or why he was armed in such a way. According to Caroccia, Singh himself doesn't remember all of the events that occurred that day.
"My client said he has very little recollection of the events leading up to the accident," Caroccia said. "I think he wasn't able to articulate what was going on, but he did express remorse."
Singh will also have to serve three years of probation. Conditions of his probation include checking in with a probation officer, completing any suggested rehabilitation programs, and avoiding all contact with Elamin.
After being sentenced, Singh had no comment for the court. His family members wept and embraced him before he was led away into custody.
Dean said he his hopeful a young adult offender such as Singh can be rehabilitated. After delivering the sentence, he addressed Singh and urged him to turn his life around and leave the life of crime behind him for good.