Slain woman's husband jailed in Manitoba in 1995
Last Updated: Thursday, July 12, 2007 | 7:33 PM PT
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The husband of a Surrey, B.C., school principal who was killed in a July 5 home invasion had been convicted and jailed in Manitoba in 1995, court documents obtained by CBC News reveal.
Narinder Pal Cheema, alias Paul Cheema, was found guilty of forcible confinement, two counts of uttering threats to cause death or serious bodily harm, as well as one count of attempted kidnapping, according to Manitoba provincial court documents.
A.H.P. Matthew Elementary School principal Shemina Hirji was killed at her home on July 5.
Cheema's wife, Shemina Hirji, was killed after three men reportedly entered their Sierra Ridge townhouse in Burnaby — five days after the couple's wedding.
Police haven't identified any suspects, nor have they indicated any motive for the home invasion.
Fourteen years ago, Cheema was engaged to Paramjit Singh in Winnipeg after an arranged marriage, the Manitoba court documents show.
Singh claimed Cheema abducted her by knifepoint on Dec. 15, 1994, after the wedding was called off. She alleged Cheema threatened to kill her family and was trying to take her back to British Columbia before she escaped.
But Cheema claimed he was the first to contact police to report he'd been abducted and assaulted by her relatives.
While out on bail, he didn't stay away from Singh as ordered.
Five weeks after the first incident, Cheema was charged with attempting to kidnap Singh again, stealing her car and threatening to kill her and her family. He was found guilty on one count of forcible confinement and two counts of uttering threats.
A Manitoba provincial court judge in May 1995 sentenced Cheema to 12 months for one count of forcible confinement, and six months for uttering threats, to be served concurrently.
The judge sentenced him to another 24 months of jail time for one count of attempted kidnapping.
Meanwhile, RCMP in Burnaby, B.C., continue their investigation into Hirji's case, executing two police warrants to search her home.
Police said at the time Cheema was not identified as a suspect, and had been co-operating with police.
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