An Abbotsford man who killed his estranged wife with a hatchet in 2022 must serve 13 years in prison before he can apply for parole.
In sentencing Inderjit Sandhu on Thursday (July 4), Justice Dev Dley said Sandhu is a violent man who committed a murder that was “savage and brutal.”
“Mr. Sandhu will have a difficult and lonely journey ahead. His parents have returned to India. His friends and co-workers have shunned him, and his children want no part of him. It is of his own doing that he must bear the consequences,” Dley said in B.C. Supreme Court in Abbotsford.
Sandhu, 50, previously pleaded guilty to second-degree murder in the killing of his wife, Kamaljit Sandhu, 45.
Second-degree murder results in an automatic life sentence, but the judge had to determine parole eligibility, which can range from 10 to 25 years.
The Crown had recommended that Inderjit not be eligible for parole for 15 to 17 years, while the defence had recommended 12 years.
The court previously heard that Inderjit and Kamaljit were married in 1991 and had two children together – a son born in 2001 and a daughter in 2006.
Dley said incidents of Inderjit’s verbal, physical and emotional abuse date back to 2001, including a 2006 incident in which Inderjit was charged with assault, leading to a peace bond being issued. He was ordered to refrain from alcohol and take counselling.
Kamaljit, a client adviser for 15 years at the Royal Bank, began divorce proceedings in March 2022 when Inderjit was in India to attend a family wedding.
She feared that her safety would be in danger once he returned, and Kamaljit received a protection order in April 2022, as well as exclusive occupancy of their home.
When Inderjit returned from India, he moved into the basement suite of a home with his parents.
The court was told that the two began communicating and arranged to meet at Inderjit’s residence on Eastview Street in Abbotsford on July 28, 2022. Shortly before the meeting, Inderjit bought a hatchet and hid it on top of a cabinet in his bathroom.
When Inderjit arrived, the two talked about reconciliation, and Kamaljit insisted that he see a psychiatric before she would consider it, Dley said. When she left the suite to return to work, Inderjit retrieved the hatchet, approached Kamaljit from behind, and struck her several times.
His parents had been waiting outside, and they were able to get the hatchet away from Inderjit, who then began strangling Kamaljit. Residents who lived upstairs were able to get him off of her, and he was arrested when police arrived.
An autopsy later showed that Kamaljit had five hatchet wounds to her neck, upper back and right shoulder, resulting in massive blood loss that led to her death.
Dley said a report from a forensic psychologist after Inderjit was arrested and charged concluded that Inderjit was “contradictory, unreliable and a poor historian” about the details of the killing, and he “minimized his drinking and behaviour.”
The judge said he considered several aggravating factors in determining parole eligibility. These included that the murder was carried out against “an unsuspecting spouse who had gone out of her way to be empathetic and consider reconciling in spite of the history of prior abuse.”
“Mrs. Sandhu was kind and caring. For these attributes, she was bludgeoned to death. This was an extreme breach of trust,” Dley said.
He said another aggravating factor is that there were elements of planning involved in the killing, including that Inderjit had searched the internet for machetes two days before the murder, and he bought the hatchet shortly before he met with Kamaljit.
The judge said mitigating factors included that Inderjit pleaded guilty, has taken programs while in custody, and has expressed remorse “although that is tempered by his failure to have insight regarding his conduct.”
“He blamed alcohol for some of his shortcomings, but failed to appreciate that his behaviour was the cause of the marital discord. Although he has expressed his regret, sorrow and misgivings for the killing, it is not apparent that he understands the magnitude of his moral culpability,” Dley said.
He said Kamaljit’s death has caused “immense hurt, distress and the painful loss to family and friends.”
“Children are left without a mother, with whom they had a loving and endearing bond. They will never have the opportunity of sharing their life experiences with her nor will they receive the benefit of a mother’s advice and guidance,” Dley said.
“The children do not wish to have any contact with their father. This family is forever shattered, all because of Mr. Sandhu’s selfish and senseless violence.”
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