Ont. man accused of kidnapping, attempted murder denied bail

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A Woodbridge, Ont., man accused of attempted murder and kidnapping was not granted bail Thursday afternoon in Barrie.

Instead, Surjit Singh Bains will be spending his 63rd birthday in jail after being denied bail for his alleged role in the attempted murder, kidnapping, and torture of a Mississauga man who may have owed Bains $650,000.

Bains was arrested in late September, accused with four other men of kidnapping the victim, who was found bound with zip ties and violently beaten in an abandoned building at the corner of Peter and Colborne streets in downtown Orillia.

It’s alleged the man was held for ransom, telling police he owed his captors a total of about $1.2 million.

The court heard the man told police he believed he was going to be killed by his captors, saying he was bound against his will and assaulted over two days using weapons that included knives and metal pipes. The man said alcohol was poured down his throat to make him docile. Losing track of time, he told police he believed he had been kidnapped for five days.

• Accused kidnappers seek bail days after man was found bound, beaten in abandoned Orillia building

The Crown filed exhibits, including two surveillance videos showing several men pursuing and kidnapping a man in a parking garage in Mississauga two days earlier.

Bains’ lawyer, Tom Pittman, dismissed any notion his client was the mastermind of the kidnapping and beating.

The Crown said Bains was found with what appeared to be blood on his shoe after police were called to the scene September 27 at about 9 p.m. to investigate suspicious activity in the area that included a U-Haul van parked outside an abandoned building. All five accused were found inside with the victim.

Despite his loved ones’ pledge of $50,000, Justice of the Peace Jennifer Martin ruled the sureties did not meet the onus of proving their release plan was sufficient.

• Five GTA suspects arrested in Orillia after bound and injured man found in abandoned building: OPP

The court heard Bains runs a small business with his four sons, and he may have known the victim for about 10 years. Bains came to Canada 34 years ago, according to his lawyer.

His co-accused, Manraj Mann, Dwayne Pennant, Baltej Sandhu, and Gergy Anthony Gorburn, are seeking special bail hearings to secure release from jail.

Bains’ lawyer is not pleased with his client’s detention.

“Very disappointed; an appropriate plan of release and the Justice of the Peace missed the mark on this one,” said Pittman, who left the courthouse with Bains’ son and wife.

The accused remains in custody and is scheduled to make his next appearance in a week from jail in Penetanguishene. The allegations against the accused have not been tested in court.