Multiple charges laid against 69-year-old in Surrey collision that left woman dead

Janet Dudgeon, 61, was killed and her mother Barbara, 84, was injured in a crash in Surrey last March

Jesse Johnston · CBC News · Posted: Sep 27, 2018 4:29 PM PT | Last Updated: September 27

Collision investigators photograph the scene of the hit and run on 72nd Avenue. (Gian-Paolo Mendoza/CBC)

The family of the woman who was killed in a crash in Surrey last year says they're relieved an arrest has finally been made in the case.

Janet Dudgeon, 61, and her mother Barbara, 84, were travelling through the intersection of 72 Avenue and 152 Street in Surrey on March 22.

It was around 6:35pm when an eastbound van smashed into their sedan, killing Janet and leaving Barbara with serious injuries.

"We miss her terribly," said Janet's daughter, Melissa Gambone.

"My grandmother, too. We miss the way she was before the injury."

On Tuesday, police arrested Iqbal Singh Sidhu, 69, in Surrey.

Sidhu appeared in provincial court in Surrey on Wednesday to face 15 charges, including manslaughter, criminal negligence causing death and impaired driving causing death.

"It was definitely a long, complicated investigation," said Sgt. Chad Greig with Surrey RCMP.

"We hope the charges being laid will bring some solace to the family of the deceased."

Sidhu was released from custody on several conditions.

Serious charges

Gambone says her family is pleased to see the accused has been charged with manslaughter, which carries a maximum sentence of life in prison.

"It means that our society is looking at impaired driving with a little more seriousness," she said.

https://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/multiple-charges-laid-against-69-year-old-in-surrey-collision-that-left-woman-dead-1.4841884

CBC News- How to prevent vehicle break-ins

Park in well-lit areas, avoid leaving items in the car, be extra careful in hot spots like downtown Montreal.

Montreal has its hot spots for vehicle break-ins, but they can happen anywhere, and there are clear ways to curb it, according to the experts and those who've had their cars vandalized.

Montreal has its hot spots for vehicle break-ins, but they can happen anywhere, and there are clear ways to curb it, according to the experts and those who've had their cars vandalized.

Lawyer Jean-François Raymond said he returned to his car, parked at Peel and Ste-Catherine streets in downtown Montreal a few years ago, to find the rear window smashed and what he'd left in the back seat, gone.

Raymond's advice to drivers: don't leave anything in your vehicle.

George Iny from the Automobile Protection Association agrees. He said sunglasses, a purse, electronics, or anything that looks like it's holding something valuable, such as a computer, could entice a thief.

"The core area of the city has a lot of street life, and some people who are in difficulty," Iny said. "For them, this is an opportunity to make a few bucks." 

Iny recommends people never leave the keys in the car, even for just a moment, like at a gas station.

"If someone is staking the place out, the car could disappear. That's how it happens," Iny said.

That's also one of the Canadian Automobile Association's tips for preventing car theft.

The CAA recommends having parts of the car engraved and installing a tracking system or starter kill, and to park in well lit areas. 

News11:30

Crime will be a top issue for Surrey in run-up to civic election, says longtime journalist

SURREY (NEWS 1130) – With three high-profile murders in Surrey last month alone, a longtime journalist believes crime will be a major focus when people go to the polls to elect a new mayor in October.

Frank Bucholtz — a former columnist with the Surrey Now Leader, among other roles — tells us the issue will be perhaps the most prominent issue in October’s vote.

But he says it’s not just murders that are the focus for voters — it’s a lot of those lesser crimes that are proving to be an agitation.

“It isn’t just the murders. It’s also a lot of the other crime that goes on, that’s associated with it. I think people are just feeling that it’s not under any kind of control.”

“In many parts of Surrey, crime is a pretty common thing,” he adds. “It may not be murders or it may not be violent crime. It might be petty crime. It might be property, break-ins, theft or vandalism or things like that.”

That said, Bucholtz says it will be a major challenge for anyone to take on the reigning Surrey First party, suggesting that party will be the favourite unless a high-profile name enters the fray — like perhaps Rich Coleman, the former BC Liberal cabinet minister who was said to be considering a run for mayor.

“Surrey First definitely has an edge financially,” says Bucholtz. “They’ve undoubtedly raised hundreds of thousands of dollars before the new rules kicked in that the province brought in. Therefore, I think, any opponent is going to have one hand tied behind their back to compete financially.”

Forty-five per cent of people who responded to a recent Research Co survey say crime is the most important issue in Surrey. Bucholtz says the percentage of people who feel that way might actually be higher, in reality.

But the crime problem is not what’s scaring off potential candidates, in the view of Bucholtz. He believes people may opt out of running due to Surrey First’s dominance in recent elections.

“I think people just feel — what’s the point in putting a lot of money, energy and time and volunteer effort into mounting a campaign against a civic slate which has this kind of advantage financially — incumbency, coziness with business and developers — so I think people have looked at it and said, ‘I’ll take a pass,'” says Bucholtz.

 – With files from Monika Gul