Victim Impact Statement Harry Randhawa Case: R v.

Ninderjit Singh

Honorable Justice, My name is Harry Randhawa and I am Poonam Randhawas first cousin. Calling myself her first cousin seems so strange as I have always thought of her as my little sister. Poonam was the light in our family, always laughing, and joking around. I cant describe what a joy she was to be around. Some people simply light up a room when they walk inshe was one of those people. She had a radiant smileso large you couldnt help but laugh or smile back. She always had something positive to say, and even when her younger brother died after years of painful struggle, she always managed to keep a smile on her face, even if it was through tears sometimes. I often get the feeling she will come striding through the door like she did when we were younger. Her loss has devastated our family, our entire extended family. The single action of the offender, changed our lives foreverthe world got a little dimmer, and every day of our lives since her murder we have struggled to find joy in the world and carry on. The worst day of my life was the day I learned she was murdered. When I arrived at uncles house a uniformed officer told me what had happened-she had died while on a lunch break at school, in the background I could hear my family crying out. I was in state of shock, horror and disbelief. It didnt seem real, just a hazy fogsome kind of strange story. Only 2 days before; I had wished her a happy birthday over the phone and listened to her laugh. Shortly after meeting with the officer I went with my father and Poonams dad (my uncle) to the morgue identifying her body with my dad and uncle. The concrete realization that this was real, and she was truly gone hit me hard. The pain of seeing someone you love lying on a gurney lifeless is indescribable, pure anguish. All her beauty, vitality, and spirit taken away leaving a lifeless shell that used to be her. She didnt lose her life to sickness, or some accidentwe could make sense of that, make peace with that. There is no peace in this, no sense in this. Her life was taken away with a single brutal act that took away everything from her, and everything from us. Her future, her potential all gone. Countless times over the years Ive seen the image of her lifeless body in front of me, and when people ask me if Im okay I say yes because it is easier to say than to explain the pain of her loss and how it haunts me. I would do anything to go back in time and stop the events of that day. At the time this offender took Poonams life I was in university. I struggled with anger, depression and anxiety. My GPA suffered and my dreams of becoming a police officer disintegrated as I became disillusioned with the justice system that was unable to catch the `perpetrator that did this to her. For 2 years I struggled with making sense of this crime and pushing everyone around me away, I sabotaged relationships because of my fears around losing anyone else that I cared about. Slowly, I have learned to carry forward with life, I have a career, I have a beautiful wife and child, but still I have waited 14 years for the day some sense of resolution will come. That day is here. Poonam was a beautiful girl, smart, intelligent, full of life. Someone that stood her ground when needed, and fearless, not easily intimidated. She was a teenager who had just celebrated a birthday, Name: Signature:

Victim Impact Statement Harry Randhawa Case: R v. Ninderjit Singh looking forward to graduation and a bright future. We shared those dreams, and aspirations with her. It is a strange thing to see her friends all grown up now, living as productive adults in our society, many of them married, with children of their own, or with flourishing careers. My mind wonders what her life would have looked like. We will never know. For 13 years prior to the arrest of the defendant, my family and I struggled to make sense of her death knowing our lives would remain on hold until he was tried and sentenced. Everyday since the tragedy my entire family has said a prayer asking for justice, and some sense of closure. The worst part of this tragedy is that my beautiful little sisters death was the result of an act of extreme violence. To take the life of another being in cold blood is an unimaginable thing to most people, but once that step is taken there is a finality that comes with it that cannot be undone. The damage done does not just affect the person that is lost but all those that lived, loved, and nurtured them. Violence against women has become an epidemic in our society, but it is not just a womens issue, violence committed against one is an injury to all. We were very proud of Poonam, and I will cherish the joyous moments we shared during her short life on this earth. Life is sacred, every breath and action we take has an impact and consequence. In our society we are held accountable for our actions, asked to take responsibility for the things we do. Our system is designed to look at the best parts of humanity and use that as the standard to protect the innocent from harm. This one act of hateful violence changed everything for us, we do not wish to see anyone else suffer, and ask for accountability. Her life was sacred to us, we will never go a day without remembering her. The course of our lives has forever been altered.

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