Sexual assaults land man in prison

By Delon Shurtz - Lethbridge Herald on February 7, 2023.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDdshurtz@lethbridgeherald.com

A Lethbridge man who is scheduled to stand trial later this year in relation to sexual assaults against two women, has been sent to prison for sexually assaulting three other women several years ago.

Sohil Bindra, 36,was sentenced Monday in Lethbridge provincial court to 12 years in a federal penitentiary, six years less than the Crown recommended, but three more years than defence had hoped to get.

Crown prosecutors Dawn Janecke and Adam Zelmer had recommended Judge Jerry LeGrandeur sentence Bindra to 18 years in prison for drugging and then sexually assaulting the three women while they were incapacitated by the drug.

Zelmer pointed out at a sentencing hearing Dec. 5, that if the amount of jail time warranted for each offence was added together, Bindra’s sentence could be more than 30 years. However, after taking into account the principles of proportionality and totality, the Crown sought 18 years so as not to be overly harsh.

LeGrandeur, after doing some calculations of his own, noted Monday that even a sentence of 15 years is still too high, especially since Bindra did not have a previous criminal record, is a person of previous good conduct, and is a good candidate for rehabilitation.

“A sentence must not be crushing,” LeGrandeur said.

Calgary lawyer Alain Hepner said during the December sentencing hearing that 18 years would be a “crushing” sentence, and he reminded LeGrandeur that Bindra is a first time offender. He suggested the sentence that was recommended by the Crown is “significantly more than it should be,” and he asked for a sentence of nine years.

During a trial in November and December of 2021, one of the women testified Bindra assaulted her in his vehicle in the spring of 2018. He was found guilty of sexual assault and administering a noxious substance, in relation to the assault against the woman.

Another woman testified Bindra sexually assaulted her after he gave her and a friend a ride home from a bar in February of 2020. He was found guilty of housebreaking and commit sexual assault, and administering a noxious substance, in relation to that woman.

A third woman told court during the trial that she was too drunk to drive home to Taber following a work Christmas party in December of 2018, and was sexually assaulted after Bindra allowed her to stay the night at his westside home. Although he said she was coming on to him, she testified she did not consent and told him no. He was found guilty of administering a noxious substance and sexual assault.

Bindra denied the assault allegations and testified during his trial that the liaisons with the women were consensual.

He was also found guilty of possessing cocaine and the substance he used to drug the women, and he was fined $500 for each charge. Rather than pay the fines, however, he will serve the default time in custody of five days each, to run concurrently with the 12-year prison term.

Bindra was also given credit for the equivalent of just over four years he spent in remand custody – calculated at one and a half days for every day he spent in custody – which leaves him with just under eight years to serve.

Bindra is set to stand trial next spring and summer in relation to sexual assaults against two other women. He is scheduled to stand trial April 18-20 on one count of sexual assault in relation to one of the women, and July 31-Aug. 4 on charges of sexual assault, choking with intent, assault and administering a drug, in relation to the other woman.

He also faces one additional and more recent charge of sexual assault, which relates to an offence in August 2017 against a sixth woman. That matter returns to court Thursday.

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