Real estate agent speaks out after abuse by client during home viewing

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BRANTFORD – When he attacked the first woman and was accused of attacking a second woman, the community didn’t know it.

But a recent victim of a local elderly man convicted of assault last December wants people to know both her name and the name of her attacker: Sardul S. Multani.

“The community deserves to know this, to protect themselves,” said Brantford real estate agent Tiffany Nelson, noting she is not Multani’s first victim.

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Nelson returned to court after her case was over to make a point. Under new legislation that came into effect at the time Multani was convicted, victims, witnesses and participants in the justice system can discuss directly with prosecutors and judges whether they want a publication ban, rather than having one imposed automatically.

Nelson had to jump through a few hoops, but with the help of a victim services worker, a helpful assistant Crown attorney and a sympathetic judge, she can now legally say her own name — and that of her attacker — in the story.

“With the law changing, I knew I had to make a point to create a new path for future victims to have their voices heard,” she said. “I was afraid of the public and I am still determined to let the community know.”

On August 11, 2022, Nelson and Multani met at a house that Nelson was showing. He offered to show her and a client his similar unit.

Multani grabbed Nelson’s arm a few times, she said in an interview. It made her uncomfortable, but the real estate agent also volunteers with a senior transportation program, so she was inclined to brush it off.

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Nelson says Multani grabbed her after the client left, pulled her close for some hugs and then tried to pull her back into his home.

“I thought about punching him in the face, but he’s 78,” she said.

She says she was able to break away and said it was like being in a high school wrestling match again.

A few days later, Multani was charged with assault, but the charge was eventually reduced to assault.

Nelson told the court in a victim impact statement that she never thought she would be attacked by a senior.

“I never thought I would have to fight to get free from an almost 80-year-old man who grabbed my body,” she said.

Multani’s lawyer characterized his client’s behavior as “grabbing the wrist” of the victim at the end of a “mutual hug” between them. “He grabbed her arm and pulled it back to enter the house harder than he should have. It was a brief incident with no injuries, even though it was inappropriate.”

The lawyer asked for a community service order of six months with three months of house arrest and a probationary period of one year. He said a longer probation period would prevent the senior from visiting family in India.

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He argued for a three-month house arrest because Multani’s previous assault was more serious, including “fondling,” and so he should receive a shorter sentence for “much less aggravating conduct.”

Multani had been charged with sexual assault in 2021 for two separate incidents that occurred within days of each other in July 2021.

In April 2022, one charge was dismissed and he was allowed to plead to the lesser charge of assault in relation to the other. He was sentenced to house arrest and one year’s probation.

Judge Gethin Edward pointed out that Multani had not admitted his guilt this time – a judicial sign of remorse – and a report on Multani noted that he does not see proper boundaries or have any insight into his bad behavior.

The judge wondered if a longer probation period would give him more time to understand these things.

Assistant Crown Attorney Jeff Mazin said the case was difficult for him to analyze.

“I was considering asking for a short, sharp prison sentence,” Mazin said, noting that Multani was still on probation for the previous attack when he attacked Nelson.

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The judge agreed it would be a “big ask” to send a man with language difficulties who was approaching 80 to Maplehurst, where even capable young men struggle.

But Mazin said Multani should be placed on probation for three years because his attack used “significant force” and had a “significant impact” on his victim.

Nelson told the court in her victim impact statement that she enjoyed meeting new people and touring their homes.

“Now it just feels like I’m setting myself up to be attacked again,” she said.

A busy volunteer, Nelson has changed her involvement in several programs so she doesn’t have to be alone with men.

Sentencing Multani, Edward said: “People have the right to go about their business without being grabbed, pawed or touched inappropriately. Plain and simple.”

The judge imposed a community service order of six months, but stated that Multani would be under house arrest for the entire time. He also gave him a two-year probation order with orders to provide DNA and seek counseling.

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“Mr. Multani, you have to learn to respect and understand people’s boundaries. That is part of what we cherish in our society,” said the judge.

Nelson said she understood the sentence, which placed Multani under “thorough” house arrest for six months, but was allowed out on Saturdays to go shopping and on Sundays to go to the temple.

“But,” she said, “I don’t believe this man deserves privacy in his final years.”

With the new change to the Criminal Code requiring victims to be specifically involved when it comes to discussions about publication bans designed to protect them, Nelson returned to court to ask Edward to suspend her case, which takes her name protected, to be abolished.

After questioning her extensively, the judge agreed.

“If only I was the first (victim), that’s one thing,” she said. “But . . . I want to be the last. I want to make it known.”

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