'Those cries haunt me to this day': Final victim impact statements heard in London, Ont. courtroom in Veltman sentencing

It took two full days to hear all 70 victim impact statements in the sentencing hearing of Nathaniel Veltman, convicted of first-degree murder in a 2021 truck attack against a London Muslim family.

“June 6 is the most horrific day of my life,” Jennifer Carp told the court late Friday afternoon.

The Londoner was one of the first people to be in the area of Hyde Park Road and South Carriage Road where a family of five had been struck by a pickup truck on June 6, 2021. 

“I came across the most horrendous unimaginable scene I have never, ever imaged seeing,” she recalled.

Carp noticed two women on the ground but then heard a young boy, “crying for his family.”

“Those cries haunt me to this day,” she said.

Carp said she tried to reassure the boy — who she now knows is the lone survivor of the Afzaal family.

The nine year old, his grandmother Talat, her son Salman, his wife Madiha and their teenage daughter Yumnah had just been struck by a pickup truck while waiting to cross the street.

Nathaniel Veltman, 23, has been convicted for four counts of first-degree murder and one count of attempted murder.

He admitted to police he accelerated into the family because they were Muslim.

“June 6 has brought the reality to me that hate is still out there and thriving,” Carp said, and then told the court one of her dearest friends is Muslim. “I spend most of my days worrying if this will happen to her.”

“One person's untrue idealism of a group of people has forever changed my life,” Carp said.

When Carp concluded her statement and walked into the gallery of the courtroom, a member of the Afzaal family rose. The women embraced in a touching moment during what had been an incredibly emotional day.

Friday’s proceedings ended with the statement written by the young man Carp tried to help; it was read into the record by a family member.

“The offence has made me very sad at the fact I can’t talk to my family anymore and make new memories with them,” the statement read.

While not addressing the attack itself, the young boy told the court about his physical injuries, including a broken leg and collarbone.

“I will have to get the metal plate in my leg removed which will be painful and I will have to learn how to walk again,” the statement continued.

The young boy wrote about missing his family members, having to move to a different home and realizing a mural his sister drew is now a memorial.

He concluded his statement with a message “to all the young kids” to not take parental discipline or sibling rivalry for granted.

“You may think that your siblings are really annoying, and to be honest I thought the same about Yumnah, but when they leave you would love to fight with them one last time,” he said.

 

THE JUDGE’S REMARKS TO THE FAMILY

Justice Renee Pomerance addressed the family, and noted that typically her courtroom is filled with words from lawyers.

For the last two days, the judge said, it was filled with the words of those who loved the Afzaal family and those who “have been profoundly impacted by the events of June 6, 2021.”

The judge thanked all the people who wrote statements and those who read them into the record in the courtroom.

“I am deeply moved by the eloquent, poignant and powerful words that have filled this room over the last two days,” she said.

Pomerance will reconvene the matter on Jan. 23, 2024 for legal arguments about the allegation of Veltman’s actions being terrorist activity. It is an assertion the defence disputes.

Veltman will be given a chance to speak to the court before the judge retires to consider her sentence.

He is facing a mandatory sentence of life in prison and he cannot apply for parole until 2046 at the earliest.

If his actions are deemed to be terrorist activity, defence lawyers said it will become a big part of any parole applications. 

 

THE LONE SURVIVOR'S FULL STATEMENT

"Hello,

This is my victim impact statement. The offense has made me very sad at the fact I can't talk to my family anymore and make new memories with them. I won't be able to have fun with them anymore. I won't be able to talk with Yumnah anymore, hug Ami, go to prayer with Baba, or make art with DadiJaan. I also wouldn't be able to see Yumnah turn 18. I wouldn't be able to see Ami and Baba as grandparents. I wouldn't be able to go to school one day with Yumnah and admire the mural. I would not have to go to the graveyard and be sad about their deaths. I would have been able to go to more functions with my family like weddings were always the funnest with Yumnah and the cousins. I won't be able to live with them anymore. Because of the offense, I was not able to live in the house I used to which also impacted me because that was the house I grew up in since I was three. I wouldn't be able to have some of the delicious food that my family used to make like Yumnah's pasta, Ami's all around food (because nothing was better than the other), Baba's butter chicken and Dadi-Jaan's potato wedges. Now every time I go and see friends of Yumnah's, it would not be because of Yumnah that I'd go. I'd be the one talking to them instead of Yumnah.

Now every time I see the mural - before it was just a cool art piece that she made that we could talk about — now it's in memory of her. Now whenever I go and visit my cousins — before they used to like talking with Yumnah and me. Now, they can only talk to me. Now whenever I go to the masjid, and I see people that used to know my dad, they ask me how I am instead of before when I used to go to the masjid and people before used to ask me how my dad was if he was not there beside me. Now whenever I go visit my Halas (Aunts) and Mamus (uncles) that were brothers and sisters of my mom and dad, my mom and dad can't be with them talking about their old time as kids. Then when I have kids, they're not going to have grandparents because of this offense.

Me and Yumnah had plans that when she finally got her driver's license she'd drive me around — she said it would cost 25 cents per drive. Now I'll never be able to see that.

Every time I go to school and someone brings up my family it now seems awkward.

The offense has caused me to break one of my legs and fracture my collar bone which gave me surgery and was very painful when it first happened. Now I have to take physio because of it. Because of the offense, I had to stay in the hospital for one week not being able to go anywhere. The only time I got to see people was when they came to me. Because of the offense, later on I will have to get the metal plate in my leg removed which will be painful and I will have to learn how to walk again. Because of the offense I now have to go to therapy.

One message I have to all the young kids that think about how your mom makes you do your homework instead of playing video games. Before, (well to be honest even now,) as much as I would have loved to play video games or watch marvel all day instead of doing my homework that my parents told me to do, I realize now that they are only telling me this stuff to help you. However, once they leave you, you start to really notice how much they cared about you. And also, you may think that your siblings are really annoying, and to be honest I thought the same about Yumnah, but when they leave you would love to fight with them one last time.

This was my victim impact statement."