Man who killed Montreal taxi driver will be deported when released

Nigel John and his family immigrated to Canada when he was seven, and the parole board said it welcomes deportation.

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A man who murdered a taxi driver in Montreal nearly 12 years ago was paroled, but is expected to be deported before setting foot outside a federal penitentiary.

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A summary of the decision made last week by the Canadian Parole Board also sheds some light on why Nigel John, now 38, killed 64-year-old Mohammed Nehar-Belaid, who worked as a taxi driver for 15 years after he and his family immigrated to Canada. from Algeria.

On November 29, 2009, Nehar-Belaid was stabbed 10 times and his body was placed in the trunk of his cabin. Later, John dumped the body on a vacant lot in LaSalle, where it was found three days later.

About five hours after Nehar-Belaid left his home, a surveillance camera at a gas station in Verdun recorded footage of John filling up the taxi driver’s car. He also tried using Nehar-Belaid’s credit card to pay at the pump.

On November 2, 2012, John was convicted of second degree murder and automatically received a life sentence. Later that month, his parole suspension period was set at 12 years.

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During his sentencing hearing, John apologized for killing the father of four, but said little about the motivation behind the crime. The summary of the decision mentions that John “does not remember the assault, the origin of the weapon and the handling of the victim after death. It is stated in the file that her trouble remembering the murder appears to be dissociative amnesia. However, he never denied being the author of the crime. “

While claiming to have no recollection of the murder, John told the parole board that he was under great financial pressure on the day he carried it out.

“On the day of his violation, he was facing a fourth eviction and had also recently been turned down for a personal loan. You said you were very angry at the time you committed the murder, ”the board noted.

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John and his family immigrated to Canada when he was seven years old. He never became a Canadian citizen and in 2015, Immigration Canada issued a deportation order to return him to his home country, the name of which was removed from the decision obtained by the Montreal Gazette. John is described in the summary as welcoming deportation.

His parents told the board that they will return to the country and live with him.

“You assume that your uprooting may have had an impact on you, since your unhappiness seems to have started during your immigration. During his hearing, he said that his immigration appears to have contributed to his sense of emptiness, ”the board wrote. “In addition, he indicated that he comes from a family environment that did not support emotional expression; therefore, you apparently learned to suppress your pain.

“You also mention that you have suffered amnesia due to excessive distress. In other words, it became clear that a part of you does not want to remember committing your crime. “

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Reference-montrealgazette.com

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