Relatives and friends of Muslim family attacked in London, Ont., to speak at killer’s sentencing hearing today

Warning: This story contains distressing details:

An unprecedented number of people will tell a court and the convicted killer how the 2021 attack on the Afzaal family in London, Ont., has impacted them and their community, as the sentencing hearing for the 23-year-old man gets underway today. 

Nathaniel Veltman’s trial enters its final phase this week, with 70 victim impact statements expected to be read out over two days in the Superior Court of Justice in London. After 10 weeks of proceedings in Windsor, a jury found him guilty on Nov. 17 of four counts of murder and one count of attempted murder.

He had also been charged with related terror charges, 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.

WATCH | Community member on the online ‘culture of hate’ contributing to killer’s radicalization:

Before the court proceedings, members of the Muslim community spoke about the need for Canada to stand up against Islamophobia and to 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.”  

Sentencing hearings provide an opportunity for people who knew the victims — in this case, five members of a Muslim family who were out for an evening walk when they were attacked by a pickup truck — to express what the loss has meant to them. 

“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.

“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.” 

Yumnah Afzaal, 15, and her mom Madiha Salman, 44, and dad Salman Afzaal, 47, as well as the family matriarch, Talat Afzaal, 73, died following the attack. The youngest member of the family, a boy who was nine years old at the time, was seriously injured but survived. 

“During the trial, we learned a lot about how online commentary contributed to the offender’s radicalization. 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,” said Nusaiba Al-Azem, the director of legal affairs for the National Council of Canadian Muslims, speaking to reporters outside of court before the proceedings got underway. 

“These messages have hurt and they have left echoing vibrations on an already vulnerable population.”

It’s expected those speaking at the convicted man’s sentencing will also include people who knew the family, as well as members of the larger London and Muslim community. Family members have said they don’t expect closure, but they do want to express the deep loss and fear they have felt since the June 2021 killings. 

Pickup truck attack deliberate, trial told

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.