Kirandeep Kaur Grewal

The defendant, Tyler Willan, was charged with arson as an aider under s. 21(1) of the Criminal Code, for assisting in the burning of a Honda Accord used in a murder.

The Crown's case relied heavily on circumstantial evidence, including video chronology of the Honda and Willan's Outlander, the purchase of gas in a Jerry Can, and the movements of the alleged perpetrators (Male 1 and Male 2).

The court found that Male 1 and Male 2 committed arson by intentionally burning the Honda, which was not wholly owned by them, to destroy evidence related to a murder.

The court concluded that Willan aided the arson by driving Male 1 and Male 2 from the burn site back to Oshawa, having known about the Jerry Can and the purpose of the trip.

Willan was found guilty.

Ganesh Persaud pleaded guilty to second-degree murder of his estranged wife, Bodwatie Persaud, who he brutally murdered due to jealous suspicions.

Crown and defence jointly submitted a sentence of life imprisonment with no parole eligibility for 12 years.

The court accepted the joint submission, finding the increased parole ineligibility period warranted given the brutal nature of the domestic murder, breach of trust, and aggravating factors, balanced against the offender's age, health, lack of criminal record, and early guilty plea.

The defendant was found guilty of two counts of possessing a Schedule I substance for the purposes of trafficking under the Controlled Drugs and Substances Act: one count for fentanyl and one count for heroin.

Both convictions arose from a single criminal act involving possession of a brown substance containing a mixture of heroin, fentanyl, and methamphetamine.

The Crown conceded that the Kienapple principle applied, requiring that only one conviction be registered.

The court determined that the heroin conviction should proceed and the fentanyl conviction should be conditionally stayed, as the defendant's moral culpability was fully reflected in the heroin conviction, which matched his actual knowledge and intent.