Boparai pleads guilty to threats

Photo: Castanet Staff

Kirpal Boparai

The former head of the BC Fruit Growers’ Association has pleaded guilty to uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm, stemming from an incident earlier this summer.

Kirpal Singh Boparai was accused of showing up outside another person’s home in August, carrying a shovel and yelling at the residents.

After RCMP were called to the scene, Boparai allegedly made several more phone calls from the backseat of the police car.

He did not appear in court Monday; the guilty plea was entered on his behalf by his lawyer.

Boparai replaced Joe Sardinha as president of the tree fruit association in 2012, however, he stepped down after less than a year in that post following a series of disputes with the Okanagan Tree Fruit Cooperative.

The case has been adjourned to a later date for sentencing.