A 51-year-old man from India who was visiting Canada on a temporary visa has been convicted of criminally harassing two teenage girls outside a high school in Sarnia, and will now be deported and barred from returning to the country, The Winnipeg Sun reported.

The man, identified as Jagjit Singh, had been staying in the Sarnia area to visit his newborn grandchild. According to the report, Singh received a short jail term after a judge found his behaviour around the local high school unacceptable.

“You had no business attending the property of (that) high school,” Justice Krista Lynn Leszczynski said while delivering the ruling.

“This type of conduct will not be tolerated,” he added.

As per the report, Singh arrived in Canada in July on a six-month temporary visa.

Between September 8 and September 11, he repeatedly appeared in the smoking area of a high school in Sarnia, where he approached young girls, attempted to communicate with them, and persistently tried to take photographs alongside them.

One of the teens initially refused to be photographed, but later agreed in hopes that Singh would leave.

Instead, he entered her personal space, sat between two girls, and gestured for another picture to be taken. After another photo was clicked, Singh placed his arm around one of the girls, prompting her to stand up and push his hands away as she felt uncomfortable.

The report mentioned that Singh, who does not speak English, was arrested on September 16 and initially charged with sexual interference and sexual assault.

He was granted bail shortly after, but was arrested again when a new complaint emerged from the same date. Although bail was granted a second time, Singh spent an extra night in custody due to the unavailability of an interpreter.

During his recent hearing, Singh, through an interpreter and with assistance from his lawyer, pleaded not guilty to sexual interference but guilty to the lesser charge of criminal harassment.

According to the report, Canada Border Services Agency officers were present in the courtroom and prepared to take custody of Singh immediately after the proceedings.

Singh had originally booked a December 30 return ticket to India but was seeking an earlier departure in light of the case.

Victim impact statements from both girls were read aloud in court. One teen described the emotional fallout as severe, saying the incident had shaken her sense of safety.

She added that she often feels intimidated around older men and men of Singh’s ethnicity.

The second girl said the episode had harmed her mental health and made her uneasy in public spaces, the report mentioned.

The three-year probation order prohibits Singh from contacting the girls, from approaching locations connected to them, and from being near anyone under 16 except his newborn grandchild.

It also bars him from coming within 100 metres of schools, pools, parks, playgrounds, or community centres, according to the report.