7/29/2019 Harry Randhawa Victim Impact Statement

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Victim Impact Statement

Harry Randhawa

Case: R v. Ninderjit Singh

Name:

Signature:

Honorable Justice,

My name is Harry Randhawa and I am Poonam Randhawas first cousin. Calling myself her first cousinseems 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 sabotagedrelationships 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,

7/29/2019 Harry Randhawa Victim Impact Statement

2/2

Victim Impact Statement

Harry Randhawa

Case: R v. Ninderjit Singh

Name:

Signature:

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.