An emotional statement made by the Canadian student, who was harassed by the 51-year-old Indian man, detailed the emotional impact the incident had on her, adding that it robbed her of her sense of safety. Jagjit Singh, who was in Canada on a temporary visa to visit his newborn grandchild, was jailed after being convicted of criminally harassing two teenage girls outside a high school in Ontario’s Sarnia.
He will be deported after his jail sentence and will be banned from coming back to the country. Singh was convicted of sexual interference and sexual assault after being accused of approaching young girls and trying to take pictures with them.
The prosecutor read the victim's statements during the sentencing. One of the girls remarked how Singh’s actions left her intimidated around older men and men of Singh’s ethnicity.
“Part of what makes this so difficult is that the offender was someone who had come to Canada as a newcomer,” she wrote. “This betrayal has affected the way I see people of his culture and men who are older than me.”
The other girl described that the incident affected her mental health and lifestyle, and she no longer feels safe in public areas. “I don’t even want to know what he was thinking or what he was doing with those pictures,” she said.
Singh sought photographs
According to the prosecutor, Singh approached the girls seeking pictures. He repeatedly tried to communicate with them. One of the girls initially refused to take the pictures but later relented, hoping that he would leave. Singh then attempted to sit between two girls and gestured to take another photo. After another photo was taken, he put his arm around a girl, who felt uncomfortable, stood up, and pushed his hands away.