B.C. judge says parole rules for multiple murderers unconstitutional, impacts Abbotsford homicide case

ABBOTSFORD BRITISH COLUMBIA — A BC Supreme Court judge says a section of the Criminal Code restricting multiple murderers from applying for early parole under a faint-hope clause is unconstitutional, resulting in delayed sentencing for three men for killing a couple from Abbotsford.

Justice Brenda Brown says the section of the code prescribing 25 years of parole ineligibility infringes upon the Charter of Rights and Freedoms guarantees against cruel and unusual punishment.

Her decision has delayed sentencing again for Abhijeet Singh, Gurkaran Singh and Khushveer Toor, who were found guilty of first-degree murder in May for the home-invasion killings of Arnold and Joanne De Jong.

The judge did not give her reasons for the decision, but lawyers will be back in court for another argument that will involve whether the infringement can be justified under Section 1 of the Charter.

A first-degree murder conviction would normally bring a life sentence without chance of parole for 25 years, but lawyers for the trio wanted their clients to be able to ask for the right for early parole, through the faint-hope clause in the Criminal Code.

A former federal government abolished the clause for offenders sentenced after December 2011.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Oct. 19, 2026.

Darryl Greer, The Canadian Press