Drunk driver in fatal Nanaimo crash gets 4.5-year prison sentence

A Vancouver Island man who was impaired behind the wheel during a fatal crash near Nanaimo two year ago has been sentenced to 4.5 years in prison and a five-year driving ban.

Colin Joseph Harold Hewitt, 51, pleaded guilty earlier this month to impaired and dangerous driving causing death in the May, 20, 2021 collision.

Hewitt was drunk when he crashed his pickup truck through a red light on the Trans-Canada Highway, slamming into and killing 74-year-old Kathy Bagshaw, who was making a left turn at the time.

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A blood test later revealed he had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit.

The court heard that more than two decades ago, Hewitt had collected nearly 40 driving infractions including seven 24-hour roadside prohibitions for impaired driving and refusing to give a breath sample.

At his sentencing hearing, Hewitt read a prepared statement apologizing for what he had done, and saying he would carry it with him for the rest of his life.

Theresa Bagshaw, the victim’s niece, said she had been hoping for a sentence “more than a couple years.”

“He had enough infractions and almost hurting people all the time, I don’t know, it should have been higher,” she said. “He could have killed a lot more than just her.”

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Roger Hinton, the victim’s brother in law, agreed.

“You always want more; you want to try and curb drinking and driving. I would have liked the eight years and a 10-year driving ban, but a judge made her decision and we have to live with it,” he said.

“We could give the guy 100 years and I’m still not going to have Kathy back.”

Prosecutors were seeking a six- to eight-year prison sentence followed by a 10-year driving prohibition, while Hewitt’s defence sought four to five years behind bars and a seven-year driving ban.