KIDNAP VICTIM ADMITS HE FACES CHARGE FOR PEDDLING OF ECSTASY

Defence Lawyer Attempts To Discredit Witness Who Denies Dealing

An Abbotsford mechanic and alleged kidnapping victim admitted Tuesday
that he is charged with peddling ecstasy to an undercover police
officer but claimed it is a case of mistaken identity.

Harjit Singh Toor repeatedly denied that he sold a Vancouver officer
two blue ecstasy pills for $20 at a rave early on Jan. 1, 2005.

Toor's credibility was challenged for hours by lawyer Matt Nathanson,
who is representing accused kidnapper Jethinder Singh (Roman) Narwal.

Nathanson suggested Toor is a drug dealer who has been involved in
cross-border drug smuggling, seriously undermining his
credibility.

"You sold ecstasy to an undercover police officer at a rave at the
PNE," Nathanson said.

Replied Toor: "That is still under investigation . . . that is all untrue."

The 30-year-old told Justice Sunni Stromberg-Stein that he has tried
to avoid illegal activity in his life, though sometimes "I walk a fine
line."

"I know a lot of bad people," Toor explained.

Toor has testified at the Vancouver Law Courts under heavy police
security about being grabbed at gunpoint last May 2 as he left his
Coquitlam job about 1 a.m.

He was held for three days, beaten, burned and threatened with death,
the court was told. He was freed only after his brother Jessie gave
the kidnappers about $150,000 in cash that had been loaded into his
truck.

But Jessie Toor also cooperated with police who marked the money,
taped some of the calls with the kidnappers and were waiting when
Harjit Toor was dumped off at a Langley movie complex May 4.

Harjit Toor has admitted that his kidnapping ordeal began after he
agreed to go to the border late one night to help his cousin and some
friends get away after a failed "run" into the U.S.

Nathanson said Toor undoubtedly knew the men had been involved in
criminal activity on the night in question but was still willing to go
"help them escape from the police."

But Toor said his primary concern was for his cousin's well-being
because Toor had been told the young man was seriously injured with
deep cuts on his hands.

"I just wanted to get him to the hospital," Toor testified.

He claimed he did not know what his cousin had tried to take across
the border.

"It could have been taking tomatoes. It could have been pot," Toor
said.

He said he later learned it was marijuana because he was approached by
several individuals before his kidnapping and asked if he knew where
the missing marijuana was.

Toor later picked Narwal out of a photo lineup as resembling the man
who grabbed him, but admitted Tuesday that he was not sure of the identity.

Narwal faces 15 charges in connection with three separate kidnappings
in January, April and May of last year. Others are charged in each of
the kidnappings, but the Crown decided to proceed by direct indictment
against Narwal. The others are due to go to trial later this year.

Nathanson also suggested Toor made a lot of extra money that he did
not intend to declare on his income tax return.

Toor admitted that $40,000 of the money his brother used for ransom
was cash he had in a safe at home. He denied the money came from drug
smuggling and said he intended to declare it on his tax when he filed
in the coming weeks.

Asked Nathanson: "Why wasn't that money in the bank?"

Replied Toor: "Because I like to spread it on the bed and have sex on it."

The trial continues.