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TORONTO: Indo-Canadian trucker Jaskirat Singh Sidhu, who is serving an eight-year jail term for killing 16 junior hockey players in Saskatchewan in 2018, has been granted day parole for six months.
Sidhu drove his semi trailer through red lights at an intersection near the town of Armley in rural Saskatchwan, hitting the bus carrying junior hockey players of Humboldt Bronco club and killing 16 and injuring 13.
After a lengthy hearing, the Parole Board of Canada on Wednesday granted Sidhu day parole with some conditions which include not to contact the victim families.
Sidhu, who is married and faces deportation to India after his jail term ends, may get full parole after six months if he doesn’t violate conditions set by the Parole Board.
The Parole Board questioned Sidhu about the differing statements he gave after the accident and why he didn’t call 911.
While Sidhu told his truck owner that he was distracted by a flapping tarpaulin on his truck, his version to the police was that he couldn’t control the vehicle because of the sun falling in his eyes.
Families of four victims opposed day parole for Sidhu, saying that he doesn’t deserved to be freed and that releasing him will hamper their healing process.
Sidhu, who is lodged at Bowden jail in Alberta, is fighting to stop his deportation to India on completion of jail term.
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