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A man who admitted to murdering his wife in Abbotsford, B.C., has received a life sentence.
On Thursday, Inderjit Singh Sandhu was sentenced to life in prison without parole eligibility for 13 years.
Sandhu entered his guilty plea for a second-degree murder charge in the killing of 45-year-old Kamaljit Kaur Sandhu back in late April. Kamaljit and Inderjit were married.
On July 28, 2022, Abbotsford police responded to a call about an assault at a home on Eastview Street, near George Ferguson Way and Ware Street.
When officers arrived, they found 45-year-old Kamaljit suffering from life-threatening injuries. She died shortly after.
The then-48-year-old Inderjit Sandhu was arrested at the scene, according to police.
B.C.’s homicide police team worked alongside Abbotsford police and the BC Coroners Service in the investigation.
At the time of the homicide, advocates and police said there was a rise in intimate partner violence during the pandemic which lasted into 2022.
“We did see an uptick during the pandemic, which was mostly led because people were at home and we actually had neighbours reporting it more than the individuals,” Cpl. Alexa Hodgins with Burnaby RCMP said.
Angela Marie MacDougall, with Battered Women’s Support Services, said the rising number of killings at the time was “concerning.”
“It’s so concerning,” she said in 2022. “More than last year, more than the year before, and thus far there has been no action taken in terms of government policies to increase services, both provincially and federally.”
Statistics from the Canadian Femicide Observatory showed 88 women and girls were killed in Canada in the first six months of 2022.
Most of the alleged perpetrators are men, according to the organization.
If you or someone you know is in crisis and needs help, resources are available. In case of an emergency, please call 911 for immediate help.
B.C. resources can be found online at VictimLinkBC.
Visit the Department of Justice’s Victim Services Directory for a list of support services in your area.
Women, transgender and non-binary people can find an additional list of resources online.
Also please visit the Canadian Resource Centre for Victims of Crime for help. They are reachable toll-free at 1-877-232-2610.
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