'The emotional wreckage is insurmountable,' kin of Muslim family victims tells killer in London, Ont., court
Sentencing hearing for Nathaniel Veltman expected to include 70 victim impact statements over 2 days
Warning: This story contains distressing details:
Relatives of the London, Ont., Muslim family struck down by a white nationalist on June 6, 2021, are describing their deep pain and loss at his sentencing hearing that began Thursday, with the 23-year-old among those in court listening to victim impact statements.
"The offender didn't just take lives. He took the light that illuminated our family. The emotional wreckage is insurmountable," said Ayesha Shaukat, whose brother, Salman Afzaal, 47, and mother, Talat Afzaal, 73, were two of the people killed by Nathaniel Veltman. "The loss we have suffered is immeasurable and finding words to convey the depth of pain is a daunting task. Our home, once filled with warmth, now echoes with emptiness."
Salman's daughter, Yumnah Afzaal, 15, and his wife, Madiha Salman, 44, also died following the truck attack, which happened when the family was on an evening walk. The youngest member of the family, a boy who was nine years old at the time, was seriously injured but survived. After 10 weeks of proceedings in Windsor, a jury found Veltman guilty on Nov. 17 of four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.
Shaukat is among an unprecedented number of people speaking at the sentencing hearing in Ontario Superior Court in London. The family was targeted because of their Muslim faith, and fear of other attacks lingers, court was told.
"My reality is that my hijab is a target for the hate-filled. Sometimes, I feel like a walking bullseye," said Sidra Jamal, sister-in-law of Salman and Madiha. "Worse, my hijab makes my family a target, too. The fear does not go away. Perhaps, it never will."
The hearing is expected to include 70 victim impact statements, to be read out over two days.
He had also been charged with related terror offences, which lawyers and the judge will address later this month. The third day of the sentencing hearing, Jan. 23, will see lawyers present legal arguments on the terrorism question before Justice Renee Pomerance determines her final sentence.
Also on Thursday, Tabinda Bukhari, Madiha's mother, told the court that the family has been "weighed down by grief" since the attack. She said she moved to Canada after the truck attack to help take care of the boy who was left badly injured and orphaned.
"I see reflections of Madiha and Salman in so many of his mannerisms. To hide my tears, I just hug him tight and tell him 'You look like your mom and dad,'" she said. "I and all the loving caregivers are trying to give him as normal childhood as we can. May be always be protected from all evil and harm."
Before the sentencing hearing began, members of the Muslim community spoke about the need for Canada to stand up against Islamophobia and take concrete actions to make people feel safe.
"The pain felt by the family and the community is real. The grief is real. The struggle, the sense of fear, the apprehension and lack of safety and security are all real," said Imam Abd Alfatah Twakkal, chair of the London Council of Imams.
"I personally have dealt with family members who were verbally abused, spat at and assaulted for being visibly Muslim. We must ask ourselves, 'Is this who we want to be?' What type of society do we want our children to be raised in? As Canadians, we can do better than this. We need to take concrete steps to change, to eradicate all forms of hate in our society."
Several family members appeared via Zoom from Pakistan, where the Afzaals lived before moving to Canada. Court heard that six months prior to the family being killed, Madiha's father died from COVID-19.
"We lost our father, and while we were grieving him, this act of malignant hatred happened," said Azhar Ghani, one of Madiha's younger brothers.
"I've never seen this many victim impact statements. It goes to show the sense of loss that the community felt as a result of Mr. Veltman's actions," said Trevin David, a Toronto criminal defence lawyer who wasn't involved in the case and was interviewed before the sentencing hearing began.
"It's meant to give the victims or those who knew them a voice, to allow the court and the offender to hear what they meant to them. In a way, it's a little bit like a eulogy. We'll hear about the people who were killed, their personalities, things you wouldn't normally see during the trial itself."
Nusaiba Al-Azem, director of legal affairs for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, addressed reporters outside court before the sentencing proceedings got underway
"During the trial, we learned a lot about how online commentary contributed to the offender's radicalization," Al-Azem said. "He wished that his attack would serve as a message to Muslims and a message to other like-minded individuals that they need not acquire sophisticated weaponry to carry out an attack. .
"These messages have hurt and they have left echoing vibrations on an already vulnerable population."
Pickup truck attack deliberate, trial told
During the trial, court heard the killer deliberately drove his pickup truck into the family on a suburban London street, and he wanted to teach Muslims a lesson so they would be frightened and leave Canada. He had purchased a large truck just weeks before the attack and told police officers he was a white nationalist.
The attack led to an outpouring of sympathy and calls for action against Islamophobia by political leaders, as well as marches and solidarity from ordinary Canadians.
The trial, which was moved to Windsor to ensure an unbiased jury pool, marked a first in Canada as it allowed the jury to consider terrorism as part of their deliberations.
The victim impact statements won't affect the sentence the killer will get, because in Canada, first-degree murder convictions carry an automatic life term with no chance of parole for 25 years.
The statements may, however, affect the sentence for attempted murder that will run concurrently with the first-degree murder sentence, as well as the judge's ultimate determination of the facts of the case. Pomerance is expected to lay out whether she agrees with the prosecution that the killer's attack was an act of terrorism.
Terrorism in Canadian law is defined as an act motivated by political, ideological or religious ideas, and intended to intimidate a segment of the population.
If Pomerance finds the attack amounted to terrorism, it could affect the killer's parole eligibility or requirements.
