The 23-year-old man accused of drunk driving in a fatal head-on crash in north London last week is now alleged to have been in Canada illegally.
Jinghao Zhou appeared in a London courtroom Thursday and was charged with possession of a fraudulent passport, using a fraudulent passport, and providing misleading information to immigration officials to gain entry into Canada.
The three new charges, laid under the Immigration Refugee Protection Act, are in addition to the criminal charges laid against Zhou following the November 24 crash on Sunningdale Rd. and Richmond St. Those charges include impaired operation of a motor vehicle causing death, driving with more than 80mg of alcohol in blood causing death, and dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death
Gloria Chivers, 60, was killed when an SUV slammed into her vehicle around 3am. The London Free Press reports she was a long-time carrier of the paper and was making her deliveries at the time of the crash.
Zhou was granted bail on Monday, but before he could be released,he was detained by immigration officials. He has been held in custody since.
Speaking outside the courthouse following Thursday's appearance, defense lawyer Jim Dean said it is unclear if immigration authorities were investigating Zhou prior to the deadly crash.
"It wouldn't surprise me if immigration authorities saw the name, decided to run it," said Dean. "I have my own thoughts and questions that I'll be looking into as to whether or not he was being looked at prior."
Dean said Zhou has been in Canada since 2013. He originally gained entry to the county on a student visa, and continued to reside here on a work visa.
Zhou's family travelled to Canada from China to be present for the court proceedings.
"They are going to be staying for as long as they need to stay," said Dean. "It's obviously taken everybody in the family by surprise and there is going to be some time needed to absorbed everything and assess the disclosure and what the facts are."
Dean added Zhou cannot be deported from Canada until his criminal charges are dealt with by the courts.
"He would have to complete his sentence as given by the courts, if convicted, prior to immigration being able to take any action to remove him from the country," said Dean.
Zhou will return to court via video link on December 7.
