The Crown is seeking a five-year prison sentence for a man convicted of repeatedly raping and assaulting his wife over the course of their three-month arranged marriage.

Superior Court Justice James Diamond found Rajinder Gupta guilty of four counts of sexual assault and one count of assault last year.

Gupta’s parents, Sheela and Vinod Gupta, were found guilty of uttering death threats, with Sheela also convicted of assault.

The identity of the victim, who attended Thursday’s sentencing hearing with her parents, is covered by a publication ban. She listened in tears as Crown prosecutor Kelly Simpson described the graphic details of the sexual assaults and abuse which she said required a significant prison term.

The Guptas physically and emotionally abused the woman who was far away from her family and vulnerable to abuse, Simpson argued. She was isolated in their Toronto home, with her movements, communication and access to food and money tightly controlled, she said. “They demeaned her and made her think her life had no value,” Simpson said, adding that none of the Guptas have expressed remorse for their actions.

In a victim-impact statement read by Simpson, the woman said she remains scared of future relationships because of the possibility that she could be harmed again. She has returned to live with her parents but the fallout of the abuse continued, affecting many of her close relationships including her relationship with her parents.

“I was furious with my parents because they vouched for him,” she said. The physical pain she still feels when she walks is a constant reminder of what happened — though she no longer has to take regular painkillers and is now free to eat, dress and leave the house as she pleases.

She remains afraid Gupta will still be able to hurt her.

“He ruined my life,” she said.

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Rajinder Gupta’s lawyer George Tsimiklis said a prison sentence of thirty months is appropriate. The remaining time Gupta has left to serve should be reduced because of the constant lockdowns at the Toronto South Detention Centre, where Gupta spent 78 days in pretrial custody, he argued.

Tsimiklis also noted that while Gupta’s parents are Canadian citizens, he is not and will be deported to India at the conclusion of his sentence. His parents, already struggling to pay their legal fees, will also likely lose their home since Gupta’s salary contributed significantly towards mortgage payments, Tsimiklis said.

The Crown argued Sheela Gupta should receive a “short, sharp” jail sentence with two years of probation and that Vinod Gupta should receive a suspended sentence with two years of probation.

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Their lawyer, Lakhwinder Sandhu, said both Vinod and Sheela have suffered since they were charged, in part because they have been unable to speak to their son due to a bail condition and because they could not travel to India to visit their family. They also both have significant health problems, he said, arguing that a jail sentence was not appropriate for Sheela.

A decision is expected on March 8.