Indian family outraged as son's killer will walk free soon

Toronto: An Indian-Canadian family in Toronto said they have been 'betrayed by law' as the killer of their son will walk free within months.

A 15-year-old boy had admitted to second-degree murder of their 14-year-old son Ravi Dharamdial last October in a court in Brampton city on the outskirts of Toronto.

Ravi, who was a grade 9 student at Sandalwood Heights Secondary School, was stabbed five times in the chest and abdomen while on his way back home from school on that fateful day.

The boy had called police immediately after he was stabbed in the ravine area near his home not far from Toronto international airport.

But two stab wounds had pierced his heart and he died on arrival in hospital.

The accused, who cannot be named under the Canadian juvenile crime act, told the court that he stabbed Ravi for selling him 'bad drugs'.

But Sunita Dharamdial, mother of the victim, told the court, "Knowing Ravi's temperament, this does not make any sense to us. Why? Why? Why did the accused murder our son? This question haunts us on a daily basis."

The accused would have faced first-degree murder charges, but since there were no witnesses he has got off lightly by admitting to second-degree murder charges.

The maximum jail term for second-degree murder under juvenile crime laws in Canada is seven years. It includes two years in jail and five years under community supervision.

Since he has already served time and got reprieve in time, he could be free in eight months.

After stabbing Ravi, the accused had "told his friends in person, over the phone, by text message, and by MSN that he stabbed a guy", the prosecution told the court.

He also admitted that he bleached the knife and threw it into a sewer after the crime. He also threw his clothes and cut his hair after police released information about him.

Expressing outrage over the lenient jail term for of the killer of her son, the crying mother said, "Our Ravi will never return. Our son will never visit. Our son will never age. We must visit him at a grave site."

The uncle of the victim said, "We feel betrayed by the law. Where is the justice for taking a life?"