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Kelowna man guilty in devastating pedestrian collision

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Kelowna man guilty in devastating pedestrian collision
Kelowna man guilty in devastating pedestrian collision – Sep 22, 2017

It was Dec.6, 2013 when a driver blew through a police road block leading to a high-speed chase.

The pursuit ended after the driver crashed, slamming into a newspaper carrier doing his regular route.

Steve Kania hit the windshield and suffered permanent and life-altering brain damage.

Nathan Fahl was originally charged as the driver responsible, until a bombshell revelation.

“One of my best friends is in jail for something that he didn’t do,” said Don Brodie, who was also in the car that night.

He told Global Okanagan two weeks after the collision that Fahl was wrongly accused.

“Nathan Fahl was not driving this vehicle, I can tell you that 100% on my family’s life,” he said.

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Later, in a series of letters to the media and the RCMP, Brodie confessed to being the driver and challenged police to arrest him.

He got his wish.

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READ MORE:  Kelowna man testifies under oath his previous confessions were all lies

Charges against Fahl were dropped and Brodie was charged with criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

Yet, in another twist, Brodie claimed while testifying on the stand at his own trial, that his confessions were false

“My whole goal in doing that was to help my friend (Nathan Fahl) get out of jail,” he told the court.

But the judge didn’t buy it.

Today Brodie was convicted of the crime.

The judge said Brodie’s evidence was a “convoluted entangled web of lies and deception within which there are glimmers of truth.”

Those glimmers of truth are what appears to be Brodie’s genuine remorse for his actions.

“I want to apologize to everybody. Nate’s family, the victim’s family, even some of the officer’s, because you know there were some that were actually concerned,” he said during an on-camera interview with Global Okanagan on Dec.19, 2013.

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“I do believe he is capable of genuine compassion and concern for Mr. Kania and his family. Indeed this is reflected in his sincere apology in his interview,” B.C. Supreme Court Justice Martha Devlin said while delivering her oral reasons for judgment.

Defence requested a pre-sentence report.

Sentencing will go ahead on November 14th.

WATCH: Kelowna prosecutor says apology given by the accused indicates he’s guilty

 

 

 

 

 

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