B.C. man sentenced to 14 years for setting fire that killed son, mother-in-law

A Richmond, B.C., man has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for setting a fire that killed his son and mother-in-law more than three years ago the culmination of weeks of increasingly "threatening" and"intimidating"behaviour toward the family, according to the judge.

Neighbours phoned 911 after Surjit Singh Dosanjh, 40, lit thefire in the master bedroom of a fourplexin the middle of the night onApril 13, 2015.

His mother-in-law and teenage sonweresleeping on bunk bedsin aroom they shared. They bothdied ofcarbon monoxide poisoning,despite firefighters' efforts to revive them.

Dosanjh was arrested and charged with two counts of second-degree murder. Hepleaded not guilty to both counts when his trial began in January, but was convicted of manslaughter in July.

'He was angry'

B.C. Supreme Court Justice Peter Voithsaid Dosanjh's"threatening and violent behaviour" in the days and hours before the firewere an aggravating factor in his sentence, which was handed down in October.

Voith's reasons for sentencing, which detail the case, were published online Monday.

One month before the fire, awoman who can't be identified due to a publication ban ended a long-term relationship with Dosanjh.

"He was angry ... His comments and behaviours when interacting with both [the woman] and others were erratic, irrational, and threatening," Voithwrote in his reasons for sentencing.

The behaviour grew"more volatile" the day or so before the fire.Voith said Dosanjhbroke a window of his mother-in-law's vehicle andshouted at a police officer over the phone.

Eight hours before, the unnamed woman told police she was scared of Dosanjh andtook her two-year-old son to a safe house.

Dosanjhwas convicted on the lesser offence of manslaughter because Voith said he was not satisfiedbeyond a reasonable doubtthatDosanjhintendedfor his mother-in-law to die.

Voithalso saidDosanjhdidn't expect his son to be home that night. The boy had planned to spend the night at his grandfather's, but decided to go to the fourplexaround10:30 p.m.

'Few' mitigating factors

Crown arguedDosanjhshould spend 18 years in jail for each count, less time served. The defence had asked for eight to 10 years, less a day-and-a-half for each day already served.

Dosanjh was sentenced to 14 years on each count, served concurrently. With credit for time already served,Dosanjhwill spend just under nine years behind bars.

The justice said there were "few" mitigating factors with relevance, except that Dosanjh"was, in many senses, a good father [who] certainly loves or loved his children."