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Full parole granted for B.C. man who strangled his pregnant wife

Mukhtiar Singh Panghali, now 51, killed his wife of 9 years Manjit Panghali, in 2006
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Mukhtiar Panghali, left, and Manjit Panghali

A Surrey man who murdered his wife then set her body on fire has been granted full parole by the Parole Board of Canada.

The board rendered its decision on Oct. 6.

Mukhtiar Singh Panghali, now 51, strangled his pregnant wife of nine years Manjit Panghali, age 31, to death on Oct. 18, 2006 after shesa国际传媒檇 returned home from a prenatal yoga class, staged the discovery of her car in Whalley, burned her body on a remote beach along DeltaPort causeway in South Delta and then delayed for as long as he could to lodge a missing persons complaint with the Surrey RCMP.

sa国际传媒淭he Board grants full parole effective immediately. It is the Boardsa国际传媒檚 opinion that you will not present an undue risk to society if released on full parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,sa国际传媒 his parole board document indicates.

Panghali was found guilty of second-degree murder and interfering with a dead body, following a trial in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. Sentenced to life in prison, he began serving his sentence in March 2011 with no eligibility to apply for parole until hesa国际传媒檇 served 11 years. He got four years credit for time served while awaiting trial, otherwise it would have been 15 years.

sa国际传媒淵ou have since admitted to having a desire to murder the victim prior to the date of the index offence, and planned to commit the murder beforehand,sa国际传媒 the parole board noted in its Oct. 6 decision.

sa国际传媒淵our goal is to be a good father to your daughter, regardless if she resumes contact with you or not,sa国际传媒 his parole board document indicates.

Panghali and his wife were Surrey school teachers sa国际传媒 he taught physics at Princess Margaret Secondary and she taught at North Ridge Elementary. Manjit was four months pregnant when she was murdered, and their daughter was three years old at the time.

sa国际传媒淎ggravating your risk is the nature and severity of the index conviction. The extreme escalation of violence resulting in the death of the victim, along with an unborn child, are highly concerning to the Board. Particulars of your conviction also aggravate your risk: you fantasized about killing your victim for several months prior to the offence, planned the murder and followed through on these plans despite several other non-lethal options that were available to you,sa国际传媒 the document reads.

Among mitigating factors, the board noted, is that Panghali had no prior criminal history, is now in his 50s sa国际传媒渨hich should also serve as a protective factor,sa国际传媒 and has made sa国际传媒減ositive progresssa国际传媒 by completing sa国际传媒渞isk relevantsa国际传媒 programs.

sa国际传媒淵ou are able to verbalize insight into your personality and past behaviours, and, were eventually able to disclose the full extent of your responsibility and offending behaviour after years of minimizing or avoiding same,sa国际传媒 the parole board observed.

The parole board attached sa国际传媒渟pecial conditionssa国际传媒 to his full parole sa国际传媒渂ecause they are considered reasonable and necessary in order to protect society, and to facilitate your successful reintegration into society.sa国际传媒

Among these, Panghali must follow a treatment plan or program arranged by his parole officer sa国际传媒渋n the area of domestic violence, emotions management, and healthy relationships,sa国际传媒 and have no direct or indirect contact with his victimsa国际传媒檚 sa国际传媒渂iological family members,sa国际传媒 including his daughter, without written permission from his parole supervisor.

sa国际传媒淵our offence caused significant trauma to family members of the victim,sa国际传媒 the board noted. sa国际传媒淵our daughter has requested you to cease contact at this time. To ensure you are not making contact with those who you may be further traumatizing, and to ensure the victimsa国际传媒檚 family members are protected, this condition is reasonable and necessary to remain in effect for the duration of your sentence.sa国际传媒

Panghali must not consume, purchase or possess alcohol and must immediately report all relationships and friendships with females for the duration of his sentence, as sa国际传媒渁ny relationships and friendships with females must be closely scrutinized to ensure society is protected.sa国际传媒



About the Author: Tom Zytaruk

I write unvarnished opinion columns and unbiased news reports for the Surrey Now-Leader.
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