Man accused of dangerous driving in couple’s death granted bail

A Winnipeg man arrested after an alleged impaired driving collision that killed two people on Kenaston Boulevard last month has been granted bail.

Kuldeep Singh Gill, 41, won his release following a bail hearing before provincial court Judge Wanda Garreck late Friday afternoon.

Details of the hearing, including Garreck’s reasons for granting Gill bail, cannot be disclosed because of a publication ban.

Gill was arrested Sept. 14 after a high-speed crash that killed 25-year-old Kerry Ashley and 31-year-old Egor Popov.

He is charged with two counts each of dangerous driving causing death, impaired driving causing death and failing to stop at the scene of a collision.

Gill, wearing a jail-issue sweatshirt, sat in the prisoner’s box, flanked by a sheriff’s officer and a Punjabi interpreter, as defence lawyer Jessie Brar and Crown attorney Matthew Dueck argued for and against his release.

Winnipeg Police Service traffic officers were sent to the vicinity of Kenaston and Enterprise Drive at about 9:30 p.m., where they found Popov dead and Ashley severely injured, police said at the time, not identifying the victims by name.

Paramedics rushed Ashley to the hospital in critical condition. She later died.

Investigators learned a speeding pickup truck was travelling southbound on Kenaston when it veered onto the shoulder of the road, striking the two victims, police said.

Police found a bicycle in the area, but said it was unclear to investigators whether one or both of the victims were riding the bike or if the couple were walking with it when they were struck.

The driver fled from the scene in the truck and was arrested nearby, police said.

Garreck ordered Gill’s release on $5,000 bail and two sureties totalling $52,000. He is to observe an absolute curfew, abstain from drugs and alcohol, have no contact with any witnesses to the collision, and wear an electronic ankle monitor.

Court records show Gill was arrested for driving while impaired by alcohol in July 2016.

He pleaded guilty in provincial court and was barred from driving for a year and fined $1,500.

Gill’s next court date is scheduled for Nov. 4.

Linda van de Laar, a biking-safety advocate who helped organize a ride and vigil to honour Ashley and Popov, said she was upset to learn Gill had been granted bail.

“This is opening a fresh wound, and my heart goes out to their family,” she wrote in an email Saturday.

“However, instead of pointing fingers at irresponsible drivers, I urge the city to implement infrastructure that protects cyclists and pedestrians. Until then, our lives are in danger.”

Tanya Hansen Pratt, national president of Mothers Against Drunk Driving Canada, called the case before the courts — in particular, allegations of repeated drunk driving — “just really heartbreaking.”

“This is still the leading criminal cause of death on our roads in Canada, and it’s the only crime that is preventable,” she said.

The spokeswoman noted her advocacy organization has been trying to get a straightforward message out for decades.

“I’d happily put myself out of a job if I could fix this (persist criminal behaviour),” she said.

— with files from Maggie Macintosh, Kevin Rollason

dean.pritchard@freepress.mb.ca