B.C. woman who deliberately damaged neighbour's trees ordered to pay $150K in compensation

A B.C. woman who repeatedly trespassed on her neighbour's property and cut the tops off of cedar trees with a chainsaw has been ordered to pay nearly $150,000 in damages.

A B.C. woman who repeatedly trespassed on her neighbour's property and cut the tops off of cedar trees with a chainsaw has been ordered to pay nearly $150,000 in damages.

The Supreme Court ruled on the case in June but the decision was posted online earlier this week. In it, Justice Amy D Francis says the tree vandal offered no viable defence and did not attend court when the judgment was handed down in the civil case.

The neighbouring properties were separated by a chain link fence, with a cedar hedge comprised on the side owned by a numbered company, 0973210 B.C. Ltd, according to the decision.

"The cedar hedge provided a complete privacy screen between the two properties, which was something that the two individuals who lived on the plaintiff's property valued about the property," Francis wrote.

Sukhwinder Kaur Khatkar was found to have entered her neighbour's property on multiple occasions between July and December of 2021, the court heard.

"The trespass has been clearly proven by photos and videos, which include, among other things, a video of the defendant climbing over the plaintiff's fence onto their property and wielding a chainsaw," the court heard.

In addition, Francis noted that evidence showed the police were called on at least two occasions, and an officer told Khatkar that her actions constituted trespassing and that the trees were not hers to trim.