Good News. I hope he gets more than a slap on the wrist. What a puke.
Quote:
METRO VANCOUVER - A judge has rejected a driver's version of events and convicted the man of being involved in a fatal hit-and-run accident.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Terence Schultes, in a oral ruling today in New Westminster, convicted Brent Parent of criminal negligence causing death by swerving at three young men at the side of a Langley road, killing one of them.
The Crown earlier said during final arguments that Parent's actions were foolish and childish.
"He swerved at them to give them a good scare," prosecutor Donna Ballyk said of Brent Parent, 42, who was accused of running over Silas O'Brien, 21, who died at the scene on March 13, 2008.
The judge also convicted Parent of dangerous driving and failing to remain at the scene of the accident.
The judge concluded that Parent did not know that he had struck O'Brien but should have stopped at the scene after forcing the other vehicle off the road.
Parent faces a maximum sentence of life in prison for criminal negligence causing death, with no parole for at least seven years.
The prosector has not revealed the sentence the Crown will be seeking.
A sentencing hearing was set for April 27 and is expected to last a full day.
Parent will remain on bail but the judge ordered that he remain in B.C. and surrender his passport.
The judge also ordered a pre-sentence report.
During the trial, Parent testified that he didn't know he had hit anyone so didn't stop at the scene.
"He knew what he had done," the prosecutor said earlier.
"The Crown says his failure to stop is consistent with his evading responsibility."
The Crown said the accused repeatedly lied during his testimony.
The prosecutor said one of O'Brien's two friends, Luke Stephen, testified he had to jump in a ditch because Parent's large truck swerved onto the shoulder of the dark road.
The other friend, Sam Dooley, testified he jumped off the road and the truck just missed him.
"Silas O'Brien was like a deer in the headlights," Ballyk said.
The force of the impact knocked O'Brien more than nine metres.
O'Brien was a passenger in a Silverado truck with his buddies on 16th Avenue around 2 a.m. They were heading to Seattle to catch a flight to Hawaii when they came up behind a large Ford F-350 truck that was going slowly.
The Ford had a sled deck on the back, used for transporting snowmobiles, which extended about 20 cm on each side of the truck.
The Silverado's driver, Dooley, flashed his high-beam lights to get the truck to speed up.
Instead, Parent slammed on his brakes, forcing Dooley to do the same.
Dooley felt the other driver was trying to aggravate him, so the Silverado then tried to pass the Ford, which sped up and wouldn't allow the other vehicle to pass at 50 km/h, the Crown said.
The posted speed limit was 60 km/h.
Ballyk said Parent intentionally moved left, making contact with the Silverado and forcing it into the ditch, causing it to overturn.
"His aggressive actions were intended to bully Sam Dooley to get behind him," Ballyk said, calling Parent's driving attitude "arrogant."
The three young men climbed out of the vehicle and noticed minutes later that the Ford was coming toward them on the dark road.
Parent said he saw the three young men waving their arms and thought they were angry and were going to attack his truck, so he didn't stop.
Parent, a Langley resident, was on trial for criminal negligence causing death, dangerous driving and failure to stop and render assistance at the alleged hit-and-run collision.
His lawyer, Vince Michaels, argued earlier that his client should be acquitted because of the conflicting testimony of Dooley and Stephen, which should be considered unreliable.
Michaels said the reason Parent didn't see O'Brien was that at the last minute his attention was drawn to his two friends, who appeared agitated and ready to attack his truck.
Parent testified said one of the men on the road had something in his hand -- Parent thought it was a rock going to be thrown -- and he took his eyes off the road for a second and heard a bang.
Parent said he thought one of the men threw something at his truck, so he didn't stop because he didn't want a confrontation.
Parent, a large man who works as a heavy-duty mechanic, said he only had a small amount of alcohol to drink earlier in the evening while at a social event with his brother-in-law, who was in the Ford and had a fair amount to drink.
The victim's mother, Michelle O'Brien, said earlier that she hopes the case sends a message to "bullying" drivers.
"The bullying is terrible and I don't know if it's going to stop," she told reporters outside court.
"Take a deep breath and let the other guy have a little room."
Read more:
http://www.vancouversun.com/Brent+Paren ... z1jw7lCw00
CKA Uber 
