No trial for former Sikh priest charged with sex assault of teen, but police still believe her accusations

CBC News - The Canadian Press April 28, 2010

Sex charges against Sikh priest stayed


The Sikh community in Kelowna is reeling after learning a former priest is no longer charged with sexually assaulting a teenage girl.

The Crown stayed all charges against Lahkwinder Singh, including one of assaulting his wife, at the start of his three-day preliminary hearing on Tuesday.

The case collapsed when the girl, now 17, confessed on Monday that she lied about a pregnancy test that she said previously proved Singh was having sex with her.

"I feel very sad and disappointed," said Tarsem Goroya, secretary for Guru Amardas Darbar temple, which fired Singh after his arrest in January 2009. "We still believe there's evidence of [him] doing the wrong thing."

Singh, who's now in his early 30s, was spiritual leader of the temple on Davie Road for seven years.
Girl was in foster care

He was charged with sexually exploiting and sexually assaulting the girl when she was 15 and 16, and physically assaulting his wife in 2008.

The girl was living with a foster family. Sources told the Kelowna Daily Courier she sought spirituality at the temple and was part of the congregation, which supported her to help her deal with the alleged abuse.

As the Crown's main witness, the girl knew Singh's lawyer would spend hours cross-examining her.

On Monday, she confessed to police that she got a pregnant friend to urinate on a pregnancy stick and confronted Singh with it, claiming it was hers.

"What an awful thing to do," Singh's lawyer Brij Mohan said Tuesday.

"It has ruined his life. He's been demoralized in the eyes of the community," Mohan said. "Police just got carried away with her allegations. It's a big slap on the system."

Officers spent considerable time investigating the case, said RCMP Sgt. Joanne Skrine, adding police understand why the Crown had to drop the charges but will not recommend charging the girl with mischief for misleading investigators.

No mischief charges

"I'd hate to depict the girl as someone who plotted to scheme against [Singh]," Skrine said. "The Crown felt this affected her credibility. Police won't look at charging her because we believe what she's telling us."

Temple officials said soon after Singh was arrested that they had learned "something was going on" from another family. They found Singh, his wife and the girl together at the temple.

When questioned, Singh denied the accusations. His wife showed temple officials bruises on her ankle and the girl admitted incidents of a sexual nature had happened, the officials said.

Singh's wife is said to be living somewhere in the Vancouver area. Authorities were unable to subpoena her to testify at this week's hearing.

"Police did their best to find her," said Crown counsel Debra Pope. "It was a tough decision."

Temple leaders have yet to discuss the development but say it's doubtful they'll rehire Singh, an Indian citizen, as their spiritual leader. He now is an orchard worker.

"I know from my point of view he's not coming back," Goroya said.




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http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2010/04/27/bc-kelowna-sikh-priest-charges-dropped.html
 

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Sikh priest faces sex crime and assault charges in Kelowna

CBC News - British Columbia
January 12, 2009

A Sikh priest in Kelowna is facing charges involving a sexual relationship with a teenage girl and the beating of his wife.

Police said Lukwinder Singh, 29, faces charges of sexual assault and sexual exploitation of a minor involving a sexual relationship with the girl that began in October 2007 when she was 15.

Some of the alleged incidents occurred inside Singh's suite at the Gurdwara Guru Amardas Darbar temple, police said.

Singh appeared in court Thursday to face the sex charges, as well as an assault charge involving his wife. The case is expected to be back in court on Feb. 5.

Temple acted quickly: officials

RCMP spokesperson Const. Steve Holmes said police received the complaints in late December.

"[The] investigation would suggest there was more than one incident within the charge but [the] Crown is looking at it in totality," said Holmes.

Singh was fired from his job with the temple on Saturday, even though none of the allegations has been proven. Temple spokesperson Tarsem Singh Goraya said the congregation is devastated by the news and still in shock.

Singh was popular during the seven years he served as priest, and there were never any complaints, said Goraya.

But temple officials went to the police right away after rumours began swirling in the congregation, he said.

"In the society, if things happen, we must come forward. And when it comes to our attention, we did come forward, and it was a big step, a hard step, but we had to say what is right, and in our opinion, this is the right step," Goraya said.

The temple was planning to bring in counsellors to help people deal with the incident, especially since it might involve sacrilege on temple grounds.

This article was found at:

http://www.cbc.ca/canada/british-columbia/story/2009/01/12/bc-sikh-priest-sex-assault-charges.html

Member of small Sikh sect claims he was repeatedly sexually abused for years by priests

Winnipeg Free Press - Canada August 28, 2008 Winnipeg man who kidnapped alleged molesters with sword spared jail by James Turner

WINNIPEG - A member of a small Sikh sect who claims he was repeatedly sexually abused for years by priests at a Winnipeg temple has been spared jail time after kidnapping two of his alleged abusers while armed with a sword.

The 26-year-old, who pleaded guilty to two counts of forcible confinement and a single count of assault causing bodily harm, was sentenced Tuesday to a suspended sentence and a year of supervised probation for his crimes.

The incident dates back to December 2006, when the man entered the Gurdawara Nanaksar Sikh temple in an effort to confront the priests there for allegedly sexually abusing him for as many as seven years up until he was 15.

He was armed with a ceremonial sword, which he maintains he was carrying out of religious tradition, and not as a threatening weapon.

The man then forced the priests into a vehicle and drove them to his parents' home, where he hoped to have them admit to the alleged sexual abuse while his mother and sister listened.

The judge heard that the man asked one of the priests, "Do you remember how many times you did that to me?" - a question met with a sarcastic reply.

The man then lunged toward the priest, who had his finger caught in a bracelet, causing him to break it.

Police were called and the incident ended without further violence.

In the days that followed, police brought forward multiple sex-abuse-related charges against three of the temple's priests after the man made a formal statement to police.

Those charges are still before the courts, and a preliminary hearing is set for November.

Crown attorney Melinda Murray indicated the allegations have shocked and divided the Sikh community.

"It's clear to me there's been a division within the Sikh temple and the community. . . . There are sides being taken, a big discussion and it's become quite difficult for both sides."

Gurdawara Nanaksar is one of only 17 temples of its kind worldwide, and is associated with a specific Sikh Sect, Nanaksar Satsang Sabha.

There are about 300 members in Winnipeg.

Defence lawyer Kathy Bueti said her client claims to have been sexually assaulted at least 100 times by the priests on an almost daily basis, and asked the court to take his emotional state into account when sentencing the man.

"He dealt with that and didn't tell a soul. This was the first day he was going to tell another human being on earth what had happened," she said.

Provincial court Judge Catherine Carlson said while she noted the remorse shown by the man and his compliance with court orders since he was charged, she couldn't send the public a message that vigilante justice is condonable.

"The courts simply cannot sanction individuals - even individuals who themselves may be victims of horrendous crimes - taking the law in any way into their own hands and confronting their alleged perpetrators," Carlson said.

This article was found at:

http://www.canada.com/topics/news/national/story.html?id=32de2cdb-9186-42a2-8807-4a4195eaf0b7