15 | durhamregion.com | This Week | Thursday, October 20, 2022 | Ontario's top court has rejected an appeal by a man convicted of murdering his pregnant wife, finding a Durham Region judge had properly considered competing factors in arriving at a just sentence. "The sentence is entirely fit," Justice Michal Fairburn said following a hearing Tuesday, Oct. 4, before a three-judge panel at the Ontario Court of Appeal. The ruling upholds the 17-year term of parole ineligibility imposed on Nicholas Baig, who received a mandatory life sentence when he pleaded guilty in 2019 to the second-degree murder of his wife, Arianna Goberdhan. The 27-year-old woman was nine months pregnant when she was stabbed to death in Pickering in 2017. Baig's appeal claimed that Superior Court Judge Jocelyn Speyer had imposed an unfit term of parole eligibility -- the appeal argued the appropriate term was between 12 and 15 years -- and the judge had failed to fully consider mitigating factors about Baig, including his guilty plea, relative youth and lack of a criminal record -- in arriving at her decision. Baig's appeal claimed other, similar cases have resulted in lower terms of parole eligibility and his sentence marked a departure from that range. But during submissions, Fairburn appeared skeptical of that argument, noting the circumstances of Baig's crime are unique. "Nothing compares to this case," Fairburn commented. "You have a woman who is virtually on the eve of giving birth to a child, and is stabbed 17 times." The Appeal Court panel noted Speyer had not ignored the mitigating factors in Baig's case. Rather, Speyer weighed those factors with the heinous nature of the crime he committed, they found. "The sentencing judge took into account all mitigating factors," Fairburn said in delivering the panel's oral decision. In a statement Tuesday, Goberdhan's family expressed relief at the ruling. "We are so relieved that the sentence was not overturned however the pain and suffering will never end for our family as each time we have to go through this it puts us back to that horrific day," the family said. "The judges today made it clear that due to the heinous crime there is no way they were going to overturn the sentence handed down in 2019." APPEAL BY MAN CONVICTED OF KILLING PREGNANT WIFE FAILS JEFF MITCHELL jmitchell@durhamregion.com NEWS Ontario's top court has rejected an appeal by Nicholas Baig, convicted in the 2017 murder of Arianna Goberdhan. The 27-year-old was nine months pregnant when she was killed. Goberdhan Family photo UPCOMING LAKESHORE TOURS GETAWAYS 905-623-1511 info@lakeshoretours.ca www.lakeshoretours.ca Ont. Reg. #50024799 DAY TRIPS Royal Winter Fair - Nov. 5th - $130.00 Surfin Safari - The Ultimate Beach Party Tribute - Nov. 9th - $160.00 Outlets of Niagara - Nov. 12th - $99.00 Liverpool 4 - Beatles Tribute - Nov. 12th - $169.00 FLORIDA LONG STAY Spend 1 or 2 months in sunny Bradenton at the Shorewalk Villas March and/or April, 2023 | Double Rates from $4,549.00 PORTUGAL LONG STAY Spend 3 relaxing weeks in Portugal's Algarve region March 7 to 29, 2023 | Double Rates from $3,499.00 YELLOWKNIFE NORTHERN LIGHTS Head north to view one of Earth's greatest natural wonders February 26 to March 3, 2023 | Double Rates from $5,295.00 TORONTO MAPLE LEAFS MONTREAL ROADTRIP The Bell Centre will be rocking for this original six matchup January 21 to 22, 2023 | Double Rates from $699.00 ROCKY MOUNTAINEER The majesty of the Rockies meets luxury train travel August 15 to 23, 2023 | Double Rates from $7,499.00 TEXAS & ARIZONA-The Great Southwest Tour Escape the winter on this 21-day bus tour across 12 states February 8 to 28, 2023 | Double Rate from $5,295.90 NE W Right Choice{ }CarPlacePrice} Find what you're looking for, in the location you want, for the price you want to pay! Catch a Great Deal! Browse our inventory of vehicles by Body Style, popular Makes and Models, Province, popular Cities or by Price. Whatever path you choose, you will find the right car, in the right location, for the right price!