Could you punch and kick your girlfriend 117 times in 30 minutes, smother her with a pillow and still get away?
The answer is in the affirmative in the case of Silicon Valley princeling Gurubaksh Chahal, reported The Daily Beast on Wednesday.
A video of 31-year-old Chahal assaulting his former girlfriend, that was recovered three years ago, could finally land him behind bars. But the story behind this crime is long, and complicated
Chahal has enjoyed superstar status since the age of 18 when he first sold his first digital ad startup, ClickAgent, for $40 million.
His journey from a high school dropout to a 25-year-old Internet mogul who sold his startup for USD 300 million landed him on The Oprah Winfrey Show” and “Extra” in segments touting him as a highly eligible bachelor.
He is also well connected, a fact he used to his advantage, when he hired San Francisco’s best defence lawyers.
Following the attack, Chahal was charged with 47 felony counts on 5 August 2013. In his defence, he pleaded that his act was only a reaction against his girlfriend’s infidelity.
Before Chahal could attempt a fix, a judge ruled that the video was inadmissible because the police had seized it improperly. “The judge was not swayed by the prosecutor’s argument that the cops hadn’t had time to secure a warrant because a tech mogul could so easily erase the footage,” reported the publication.
He tried to appear innocent by citing differences between temper tantrum and domestic violence.
However, he agreed to attend a 52-week domestic violence class in his guilty plea.
The police received another call from his penthouse on 17 September 2014.
This call was from Chahal’s second girl friend whom he had met in Las Vegas. She too reported a case of physical assault against Chahal.
However, like the first instance, this woman also declined to cooperate with the investigating officers. She hopped on a plane to her native place, South Korea, to escape the charges of immigration fraud that Chahal threatened her with.
This left the magistrate without enough evidence to prosecute Chahal in a criminal suit.
However, in a smart intervention, the attorney’s office asked the judge if the video from the first case could be used to establish the fact that Chahal was a repeat offender. The judge answered in affirmative and that is how the case turned against Chahal.
The video recording convinced the judge and he ruled against him on 22 July. The final sentencing is set for 12 August.
This is approximately three years and one week after he assaulted his first girlfriend. The law suit has also sheds light on Chahal’s demeanour in the work place. He has been notorious for referring to women in the most derogatory terms.
It remains to be seen if Chahal will end up behind bars. The case, though, is strong enough to get him jailed.
Source: The Daily Beast
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