Nathaniel Veltman murder trial to start next week

Jury selection is expected to get underway next Tuesday for the murder trial of Nathaniel Veltman.

The 22 year old is charged in connection with the deaths of four members of the Afzaal family, who were struck by a pickup truck in June of 2021.

The family was out on an evening walk along Hyde Park Road in west London when the crash occurred, sending shockwaves across the Muslim community and around the world.

Four members of the Afzaal family died — a father, mother, daughter and grandmother. The lone survivor was a nine year old boy, who is now 11 years of age, and is being cared for by relatives.

Moments after the crash, Veltman was arrested approximately four kilometres away from the scene in a shopping mall parking lot off of Oxford Street West.

He faces four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

Last fall, a change of venue was granted by Justice Renee Pomerance, which moved the trial to Windsor.

Jury selection is expected to take a few days, and a total of 10 weeks has been set aside for the proceedings.

Veltman hired Toronto lawyer Christopher Hicks who told CTV News London in July of 2021, that “Every person, including Nathaniel Veltman, has the presumption of innocence, that’s very important.”

Following the deaths there was an outpouring of support from the community in London with marches and vigils that attracted thousands of people. Prime Minister Justin Trudeau came to London on two occasions, including to mark the one-year anniversary.

Nawaz Tahir is a London lawyer and vocal member of the Muslim community, and he knows the week ahead will be emotional for many.

“We just have to make sure that we keep the [Afzaal] family at the forefront of our thoughts during this time,” said Tahir. “So we hope that the trial will represent some portion of closure, but we know given the gravity of what took place we may never get perfect closure in a situation as grave as this.”