MANDEL: GTA father decries 3-year sentence for teens who helped cover up his son's murder
· Toronto Sun
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Crime does pay for the young foot soldiers hired to do the dirty work in the tow truck turf wars.
For helping their friend cover up his contract killing of a tow truck driver as well as shooting up numerous businesses — and even a school — two teens were sentenced Monday to three years: two in youth detention and one under community supervision.
The young guns for hire, their names covered by the Youth Criminal Justice Act and known only as K.A. and R.R., pleaded guilty to numerous charges, including one count of accessory after the fact to reckless discharge of a firearm in the July 6, 2024, execution of 28-year-old Sulakshan “Sully” Selvasingam. The Pickering tow-truck operator was gunned down while sitting in his white Mercedes SUV at the Shell gas station at Warden Ave. and Ellesmere Rd.
Their friend — the confessed high school killer identified only as A.P. — pleaded guilty to first-degree murder and his sentencing hearing is scheduled for the fall.
In her ruling, Superior Court Justice Maureen Forestell followed the joint submission of the Crown and defence in sentencing the two teens, now 17, to two years for the accessory charge and a consecutive year for their shooting spree over the 2024 Canada Day weekend.
“The family of Mr. Selvasingam has provided a victim impact statement that describes the profound impact upon them of the loss of their loved in the violent and senseless shooting,” the judge said.
‘The community is impacted’
“In addition,” she said, “the community is impacted by these reckless and dangerous acts. Gun violence undermines the sense of safety and security of all the community.”
According to the agreed statement of facts, the trio were in a stolen car near Kennedy Commons plaza on July 5, 2024 when A.P. received a call laying out his murder assignment. The following day, K.A. admitted he and A.P. spent the afternoon scouting the area looking for the target while R.R. drove in tandem in another stolen vehicle.
Later that evening, they separated and R.R. waited at a prearranged location.
Tow truck operator shot nine times
With K.A. in the passenger seat, A.P. then drove to the Shell station and shot Selvasingam nine times.
The teens met up later in Uxbridge where K.A. and R.R. helped throw the licence plates of A.P’s stolen car down a sewer drain and then torched the Honda to destroy evidence and assist A.P. escape prosecution.
Along with their role in the murder, K.A. pleaded guilty to eight counts and R.R. to 10 of “reckless discharge of firearm” on June 29 and June 30, 2024 — with many of the businesses they were hired to target, such as Urban Auto Collision, which was hit twice — likely tied to the ongoing tow truck war.
R.R. didn’t open fire himself, the judge said, but he went along to record and encourage K.A. as he fired at six of the eight locations.
“Although no one was injured in these shootings,” Forestell said, “there were individuals present in the area of many of the shootings who were put at extreme risk of harm.”
While both teens requested a six-month discount for pre-sentence custody, Forestell only agreed to grant it to R.R., finding he’s remorseful, has shown progress during his two years at the detention centre and played a lesser role than his co-accused as he didn’t fire any guns and wasn’t present at the murder.
For Selvansingam’s distraught father, who just marked the second anniversary of his son’s slaying, the youth sentence is just a slap on the wrist.
‘We are not satisfied’
“We are not satisfied,” said the dad, who asked that his name not be used out of fear of retaliation. “How does that value my son’s life?
“They didn’t even know my son. He was a stranger. Somebody paid the money and gave them my son’s information: his plate number and what kind of car he was driving and then they kill him.”
Who ordered the hit? That’s what he keeps asking the police. But they have no answers for him.
Instead, the kids take the fall — just as they planned.