Sarah Suitor has been sentenced to five years in jail for causing the death of an elderly Sarnia couple when she crashed head-on into their vehicle while impaired by a ‘cocktail of illicit drugs.’
Sarah Suitor has been sentenced to five years in jail for causing the death of an elderly Sarnia couple when she crashed head-on into their vehicle while impaired by a ‘cocktail of illicit drugs.’
Justice Robert Horton accepted the joint submission of the defense and Crown that also included a five-year driving ban, in handing down his judgment on the 41-year-old Chatham woman during a sentencing hearing Thursday.
On April 19, Suitor pleaded guilty to two counts of impaired driving causing death in the crash that claimed the lives of William Hills, 88, and his wife Rose Hills, 87, on March 8, 2020 on Highway 40 near Wallaceburg.
Before addressing the sentence, the judge said he wanted to speak directly to the family and friends of the deceased couple.
“There are absolutely no words that can be spoken when a loved is lost, particularly by such tragic circumstances,” Horton said.
“I’m so very sorry for your loss,” he added.
Citing words expressed in victim impact statements by the couple’s daughters Kim and Heather Hills, he said they have suffered the loss of being able to chat and see each other and share holidays and other monumental moments.
The family declined to have the victim impact statements read into court.
“The deaths in this case occurred as a result of something that was entirely avoidable,” Horton said.
He said it was Suitor’s actions that took the lives of the couple.
“Most significantly, of course, is that this occurred while Ms. Suitor was impaired with what is best described as a cocktail of illicit drugs,” the judge said.
He noted the drugs in his system including fentanyl and methamphetamine, among other drugs.
“The level of tragedy involved in this matter is indescribable,” the judge said. “The lives taken on March 8, 2020 has left a huge void, not just for the loved ones left behind, but our entire community.”
According to their obituary, the Hills married on Valentine’s Day in 1953 and enjoyed 67 years of wedlock. They were much loved by their family, including children, grandchildren and a great granddaughter, as well as by friends across the country and in England and South Africa, the obituary said.
Suitor’s lawyer Frank Retar noted from the first time he met Suitor, “she had said to me she was prepared to take full responsibility for the actions before the court.
“She’s never wavered from that,” he said.
Retar noted Suitor, who was not in custody, has been coming to court throughout the process “taking responsibility for the bad choices that she made.”
The five year jail sentence falls within the range of an appropriate sentence, which includes the guilty party having no previous impaired driving offences.
However, when it comes to general deterrence for impaired driving, assistant Crown attorney James Boonstra said, “This is an offence, which unfortunately, continues to be far too prevalent and far too often in occurrence in our society.”
There’s little chance Suitor will be able to get early release.
Retar cited a report that National Parole Board is so far behind due to COVID-19 that “any early remission for awards has virtually expired because of the lack of resources in order to deal with parole.”
Suitor’s five-year driving ban will begin when she completes her sentence as will a 10-year weapon prohibition.
At the request of Retar, the judge also included as part of Suitor’s award that she take part in any drug or alcohol counseling and mental health services available while serving her award.