Man sentenced to 5 years in prison for killing young woman in car crash in Brampton
Published November 17, 2023 at 1:09 pm
A man who was found guilty earlier this year of striking a car at a high rate of speed while running a red light, killing the passenger and seriously injuring the driver, is facing a five-year prison sentence.
Multiple media reports say Walid Wakeel, a Nobleton man who was involved in the fatal Brampton crash in 2018, is facing a five-year sentence for the crime, with six months credit for the five years he was on bail.
He has also been handed a 10-year driving ban.
According to court documents, Wakeel was going at least 100 km/h when he blew through a red light in the Highway 50 and Castlemore Road area, killing newlywed Anam Laiq.
That judgement was rendered by Superior Court Justice Irving Andre, who found Wakeel guilty in the hit-and-run crash in May 2023.
Throughout the trial, the court heard how shortly before 12:30 a.m. on Oct. 21, 2018, Wakeel ran a red light at the intersection, crashing a white Audi into a Honda Civic driven by Laiq’s husband, Mandeep Virpal.
Videos
Laiq, who was in the passenger seat, died at the scene, while Virpal was rushed to hospital with serious injuries, including two broken legs. The couple had only been married for a week when the crash happened.
The court also heard how, following the crash, Wakeel climbed out of a window of the Audi and spoke to a number of witnesses at the scene, even asking them not to contact the police.
Andre said the Audi “accelerated before entering the intersection and travelled at a speed of at least 100 km/h when it struck the Honda in a 70 km/h zone.
“Rather than slowing down his vehicle, Mr. Wakeel accelerated his vehicle before entering the intersection on a red light. He entered the intersection at a speed well in excess of the speed limit,” Andre said in their ruling.
After the crash, Wakeel was seen making a phone call by witnesses before getting into the back seat of another vehicle that took off from the scene. A witness also testified that they thought they could smell alcohol on Wakeel’s breath.
“Significantly however, Mr. Wakeel did not call 911 after the accident. On the contrary, he tried to discourage two persons from doing so,” Justice Andre wrote in their decision.
“Additionally, he wanted until the next day to turn himself in to the police,” adding that the timing of his surrender “may well have been related to the smell of alcohol.”
Khalid Waleed, a brother of the accused, had also given a statement to police that he received a call from his brother who had been in an accident and was hurt. But Khalid reportedly fled the country prior to the trial, and the Waleed family members have not been cooperative with police.
Court documents say that Virpal, the husband of the deceased and the man driving the Honda that Wakeel struck, told the court that he and Laiq were scheduled to leave for their honeymoon the day after the crash.
The night of the incident, he was driving to his parents’ house.
Court documents say the couple’s car was proceeding through the intersection at speeds of 70 to 80 km/h when they were “suddenly hit very hard.”
“He [Virpal] did not know where the car came from. He did not see any headlights. He started to scream. He found his phone and then turned on the light. He saw blood pouring from his wife’s head. His windshield was shattered,” court documents read.
The documents say bystanders broke down the door of his car to assist him.
He was treated at Sunnybrook Hospital for his injuries for two months. He had two broken legs, a fractured wrist, and an open fracture in his left leg.
He underwent five operations and required physiotherapy for two years. Court documents say he still suffers from back pain.
In May, Wakeel was convicted of dangerous driving causing death, dangerous driving causing bodily harm and failing to remain at the scene of an accident.
“…was Mr. Wakeel’s driving prior to the accident objectively dangerous? In my view, it was,” Andre wrote.
“These factors collectively support a conclusion that Mr. Wakeel’s driving was objectively dangerous. It simply cannot be described as a momentary lapse in driving or driving without due care and attention.”
– With files from Ryan Rumboldt
insauga's Editorial Standards and Policies advertising