On October 18, 2006, Manjit Panghali attended a prenatal yoga class in Surrey, B.C. It’s the last time the pregnant 31-year-old woman was seen alive.
Four days later her remains were found badly burned on a beach beside a highway. Her remains were only identified by dental records.
Five months after that, her husband was charged with second degree murder and interfering with bodily remains.
When prosecutors reached a plea of manslaughter, B.C. Attorney General Wally Oppal in an unusual move stepped in and rejected the deal. He felt the crime was so heinous he overruled the crown.
Because of this the husband, Mukhtiar Panghali, was able to be convicted on the single charge of second degree murder. It would be 15 years before he was eligible for full parole.
He later appealed the sentence but it was dismissed.
Now, as of October 2021, despite the Parole Board’s assessment that he continues to be a high risk for violence, Mukhtiar Panghali has been granted unescorted temporary absences from prison.
He strangled her, dumped her body, and set her and his unborn child on fire.
He was a B.C. schoolteacher. The B.C. Teacher Regulation Branch ruled the convicted killer will be subject to a 25-year teaching ban. It seems the school board has stricter guidelines than the criminal justice system of Canada when it comes to killing a pregnant woman.
The victim’s sister asked the government to acknowledge the crime of killing or injuring an unborn child during an attack on a pregnant woman. The following is a new story about her effort.
“Victim’s sister seeks change”
(From 2008)
The sister of Manjit Panghali wants Canadian politicians to make it a separate crime to kill or injure a unborn child during an attack on a pregnant woman. And Jasmine Bhambra is asking for help to pressure members of Parliament to support the Unborn Victims of Crime Act (Bill C-484).
“I had been looking into why it’s not considered a crime to take the life of an unborn child, and the more I looked into it, I found out that other places – other countries, other states in the U.S. – consider it a punishable offence, and I just started to question why it wasn’t in Canada,” Bhambra said.
Manjit Panghali, a Surrey teacher, was four months pregnant with her second child when she was reported missing by her husband Mukhtiar Panghali in Oct. 2006. A few days later, her badly charred body was discovered beside Delta Port Way in South Delta. Mukhtiar was charged last March with second-degree murder and improperly interfering with a dead body. Mukhtiar Panghali was denied bail earlier this week. His preliminary hearing begins Monday at Surrey Provincial Court.
Manjit’s family is keeping her memory alive online, and Bhambra is using that website to campaign for the Unborn Victims of Crime Act, asking people to download and sign a petition demanding Bill C-484 be made law. Ken Epp, Member of Parliament for Edmonton-Sherwood Park, introduced the private member’s bill last November At present, Canadian law does not recognize children as victims of crime until after they are born alive. That means even when an attacker intended to kill a pregnant woman’s unborn child, there can be no charges laid in that death. That would change with the Unborn Victims of Crime Act. If passed, those found guilty could face up to life in prison with no parole for 10 years.
The bill would not make abortions illegal in Canada, as it specifically states it does not apply to the lawful termination of a pregnancy. Bill C-484 was debated for the first time Dec. 15, and there is a second hour of debate slated for Feb. 29. A vote is scheduled for March 5.
“I want them to pass this bill because these are lives that are being unrecognized,” Bhambra said. “Although the child is still in the womb, it is still considered to be a life. The child is going to be born at some point, so it just doesn’t make any sense why it’s not considered to be a viable life.”
American legislators passed a similar law in 2004 following the high-profile conviction of Scott Peterson, who was sentenced to death for killing his wife and unborn son. Laci Peterson was eight months pregnant with her first child when she disappeared on Christmas Eve 2002.
To print a copy of the petition, go to www.manjitpanghali.org.
http://www.surreyleader.com/news/115300384.html
http://www.peacearchnews.com/news/15454131.html?mobile=true
Here is a story that was removed from the internet:
“Murdered mom’s family want unborn victims of violence “
www.canada.com/story.html?id=2d11dba9-70ec-4f1d-adf6-b054a83890f7
Sentencing Court Transcripts: http://www.canlii.org/en/bc/bcsc/doc/2011/2011bcsc421/2011bcsc421.html
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