Richmond man sentenced for killing two people is now free on parole

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A Richmond man convicted of killing his mother-in-law and a teenager in a house arson nine years ago is now on statutory parole, but will be required to live in a residential facility because of a high risk of reoffending, the parole board said.

Surjit Singh Dosanjh was convicted of manslaughter in an April 2015 arson attack on a fourplex in the 10000 block of Cornerbrook Crescent that killed his mother-in-law, referred to in sentencing documents as EL, and a teen whose identity is subject to a publication ban.

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During the 2018 trial, Dosanjh’s common-law wife, LL, testified that she ended their relationship a month before the fire. She said Dosanjh refused to accept the relationship was over and threatened her and vandalized her car.

Dosanjh was sentenced to 14 years in prison, of which he has served a total of eight years and eight months. He has now been granted statutory parole, which allows an offender to serve the last third of his sentence in the community.

But the parole board imposed a residency requirement on Dosanj because of his history of violence, “pro-crime” values ​​and behavior, the severity of his crimes and the threat he posed to future partners.

“You are assessed to be at a higher risk of intimate partner violence,” the court said in its July 31 ruling, adding that the risk appeared to have increased while he was serving his sentence.

The committee said it looked at other ways to manage the risk Dosanj posed to society, including enhanced management, curfews and special written instructions, but found them insufficient.

The committee noted that Dosanjh had a difficult childhood after losing his family in the war and living in an orphanage until he was adopted by a relative. He immigrated to Canada at age 11 and met LL as a teenager. The ruling said the relationship between the two was turbulent and filled with verbal and emotional abuse.

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Dosanjh has a history of alcohol and drug abuse that appears to have persisted throughout his time in prison. He has been transferred from a medium-security prison to a maximum-security prison — once in 2020 for smoking marijuana oil, destroying property and threatening prison guards, and again in 2023 for his alleged involvement in a drug and contraband distribution ring.

An update to his correctional plan in March found that Dosanjh still required a high level of intervention and that most of his risk levels had not changed, but risks involving substance abuse and negative associations had gotten worse.

The plan said his motivation to recover and likelihood of reintegration into society remained low, possibly affected by the impending deportation order.

His case management team said: “Any gains you made from programming were overshadowed by your negative institutional behavior.”

Dosanj will be required to live in a community residential facility in the Lower Mainland during his statutory release, without furlough privileges.

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Because he was subject to a deportation order, he had to work with the Canada Border Services Agency to obtain a work permit.

He also has other conditions, including reporting all intimate relationships, including friendships with women, to his parole supervisor; avoiding association with people with criminal histories; and not using drugs or alcohol.

In a recent victim impact statement, his family asked that Dosanjh be deported and banned from having any contact with them.

The parole board banned him from communicating with the victim. He was also banned from carrying guns and weapons for life.

chchan@postmedia.com

x.com/cherylchan

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