Husband charged in killing of devoted mom had threatened her before, court documents reveal

The man accused of killing a New Westminster woman, who police say was a victim of domestic violence, had threatened her before.

Kulwant Kaur, 46, is being remembered by friends as a devoted mom who spent her time, above all else, caring for her eight-year-old son.

“I hope she’s remembered for who she really was, which was an amazing mom and amazing person. And someone that tried so hard to give her kid a better life,” said family friend Gurpreet Rai-Sangha.

Kaur was stabbed to death at her home in New Westminster on Friday.

“At first, we didn’t believe it. How is that even possible?” asked family friend Tegpal Sangha.

Homicide investigators have said Kaur’s husband, Balvir Singh, 57, is in custody, charged with second degree murder.

According to court documents obtained by CTV News, Singh had threatened her before.

Last October, he was found guilty of uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm. He was given a suspended sentence and 12 months probation as well as numerous conditions. He also faces charges from July of 2022 of breaching a release order that prohibited him from having contact with Kaur.

The Sangha’s say they were not aware of any changes involving Kaur’s husband, but that there needs to be more education on the help available to victims of domestic violence.

“Domestic violence, it’s a common thing in our community, in the Indian community,” said Rai-Sangha.

“I think that if you see something, you hear something, it’s very important to make sure that you contact someone,” she said.

She said people are afraid to be seen as “that woman who called the cops on her husband or vice versa, the husband calling on the wife.”

“They’re so worried about what society’s going to think, they’re not thinking about what’s happening inside their homes and how it’s not a safe environment for them,” Rai-Sangha continued.

“A lot of women don’t realize, or men, don’t realize, there’s resources out there that can help them,” she said.

The Sangha’s, who said Kaur only moved to Canada from India a few years ago, began an online fundraising campaign to cover funeral costs and help with the future care of Kaur’s son.

They are overwhelmed at the response, with donations topping $34,000.

“The amount of people that called and helped, it was amazing,” said Sangha.

Rai-Sangha said Kaur “was just really sweet. She was a very genuine person.”

She said Kaur tried to provide the best for her son.

“She couldn’t speak very well English, but she was always finding resources so he would be included in everything,” said Rai-Sangha.