A B.C. family is heartbroken after a judge dismissed charges against 40-year-old Gurbinder Singh citing mental illness after he crashed his car into local Pastor Rom Cheung, subsequently killing him.
The Cheung family from British Columbia spoke of their lost faith in Canada’s legal system after a court decided to let Singh walk from charges related to the high-speed crash at the Peace Arch border crossing.
The victim, Pastor Tom Cheung, was killed on May 2, 2019, when a Porsche Cayenne driven by Washington state resident Gurbinder Singh slammed into his minivan at 120 km/h in a 30 km/h zone.
The collision caused a fire that consumed the vehicle.
Singh, 40, was charged with dangerous driving causing death.
But in April 2025, B.C. provincial court Judge Daniel Weatherly ruled that Singh’s mental state was so severely impaired that he could not be held criminally responsible.
The case was dismissed without conditions.
The decision has left Cheung’s widow and son in disbelief.
“It’s so hurtful to my family,” Athens Cheung told Global News in a tearful interview. “At the end, he just said so — case dismissed. I don’t think so. It’s in Canada — what happened?”
The ruling came despite security footage clearly showing the crash and no dispute over Singh’s identity or vehicle. The court heard Singh had suffered a psychotic episode the day before the collision, was treated in hospital with antipsychotic medication, and released.
The following day, he drove at excessive speed into a line of vehicles waiting at the border.
The judge accepted that Singh’s mental illness rendered him incapable of forming criminal intent, a legal standard that continues to absolve criminals of serious offences in Canada.
For Solomon Cheung, the victim’s son, the verdict raised concerns about broader implications. “If he truly had mental health issues, shouldn’t he be admitted to some psychiatric ward?” he asked. “Why is there literally nothing done?”
Singh offered no apology during the proceedings, according to the Cheung family. “Never said one word like sorry,” Athens said.
The BC Prosecution Service confirmed it would not appeal the decision, citing internal policy, but did not explain why it chose not to challenge the dismissal.
In a written statement to Global News, the Crown said the required criteria for appeal were not met.
The case has reignited questions about how Canada’s justice system handles defendants with mental illness in cases involving death.
The Cheung family says they waited six years for a trial only to see it dismissed in minutes. “Even with the coroner report, we waited two years,” Athens said. “It’s not fair to my family.”
This case follows another high-profile incident in Vancouver where a driver allegedly suffering from mental illness killed 11 people during the Lapu Lapu Day celebrations.
That investigation remains ongoing, although early reports suggest the driver has been in contact with police previously.
For now, the Cheung family is yet another family in Canada left devastated after losing faith in Canada’s justice system.