A grieving widow has spoken out in anger after learning that an Indian immigrant driver who struck and killed her husband in Queensland has still not been deported.
Serial driving offender Manpreet Singh Brar, 36, was driving without a licence and speeding when he ran a red light, hit another car and slammed into Ian and Paula Siebel, who were walking their dog in Kallangur, north of Brisbane, on November 1, 2020.
Mr Seibel, 51, died of his injuries and his wife was seriously hurt, as was the female driver of the other car, and in August 2022 the Indian national, who was in Australia on a partner visa, was sentenced to five years’ jail, suspended at 20 months, after pleading guilty to dangerous driving causing death.
The court heard he had been driving unlicensed since 2016, had cocaine in his system, and was caught behind the wheel again while on bail, giving police a fake name and then saying he didn’t know his licence was suspended and claiming he was doing food deliveries.
But despite his visa being automatically cancelled due to the length of his sentence, Brar has managed to avoid deportation since being released by appealing on that grounds he should be allowed to stay in Australia to care for his children.
Ms Seibel said she was shocked and upset that Brar was still in the country and was disappointed with the 20-month sentence, which she described as a “joke”.
“I’m angry, I’m frustrated, I am all of the gamut of emotions. I want closure. I want it finished. I want him gone,” she told The Courier Mail.
“It’s so hard to live every day knowing that he’s able to see his family, and I’m not.
“I want them to know that I have no intention of ever backing down, and so I want him to know that he picked the wrong person to kill.”
The Seibels’ son Aaron was also enraged after Brar’s sentencing, saying outside court: “I can’t put it into words how disappointed I am. A man’s life is worth 20 months – it’s ridiculous.”
Brar’s case will be heard again on August 11.
Header image: Left, Manpreet Singh Brar (Courier Mail). Right, Ian Seibel (supplied).
