B.C. dad sentenced for killing 7-year-old son in car crash while driving high on meth

A 49-year-old B.C. antheral has been sentenced to six years successful jailhouse and banned from driving for 35 years for crashing his car portion driving precocious connected methamphetamine, sidesplitting his seven-year-old lad and injuring different members of his family.

According to a ruling by Provincial Court Judge Ted Gouge, Matthew Darlington ingested methamphetamine astatine astir 7 p.m. connected Sept. 6 portion returning to Vancouver Island from Vancouver. He besides smoked cannabis aft arriving connected Vancouver Island astatine astir 11 p.m.

Just earlier 2 a.m. connected Sept. 7, the car Darlington was driving near the road adjacent Sooke and crashed into a tree. His wife was successful the rider spot and their 3 children, ages seven, 8 and 10 were successful the rear seat.

The tribunal ruling said each of the occupants were injured and the seven-year-old died of his injuries successful infirmary astatine 6:40 a.m. connected Sept. 7.

“Mr. Darlington has nary representation of the crash, and appears to person been unconscious astatine the time,” Gouge wrote successful his ruling.

“He admits that his quality to thrust was impaired by the drugs which helium had consumed.  Counsel agrees that users of methamphetamine often go drowsy erstwhile the stimulative effects of the cause statesman to recede.”

Darlington has a transgression record, which includes convictions for acts of unit and threats of violence. He was antecedently convicted of driving portion prohibited 8 times betwixt 2011 and 2019, and again successful 2022. He was besides nether a driving prohibition astatine the clip of the 2021 fatal crash, according to Gouge’s ruling.

“Mr. Darlington’s disdain for tribunal orders is besides demonstrated by his convictions for breaches of recognizances of bail and probation orders, doubly successful 2013, erstwhile successful 2015, doubly successful 2017, and doubly successful 2018,” Gouge continued.

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“His disobedience of past driving prohibitions demonstrates that helium volition astir apt proceed to drive, nary substance what bid I make.  His lengthy and superior driving past demonstrates that, erstwhile driving, helium puts others astatine changeless risk.  As a consequence, the lone mode successful which I tin support the nationalist from him is to bid his incarceration.”

Gouge besides wrote that Darlington was not a bully relation exemplary for his surviving children. “I bash not judge that immoderate publication which helium tin marque to his children’s upbringing could outweigh the request to support the public, including his children, from the hazard which helium volition airs to nationalist information if helium is not successful custody.”

Gouge’s condemnation came successful astatine the apical extremity of the Crown’s petition for a condemnation of 5 to six years. He besides much than doubled the Crown’s proposal for a 15-year driving ban, calling it “manifestly insufficient.”

“Mr. Darlington should ne'er again thrust a centrifugal vehicle,” Gouge wrote.