Lawyers want 4 years jail for Shuswap man who killed passenger while escaping police
High on meth, and already banned from driving, Dorian Bell drove recklessly overtaking vehicles on blind corners as he travelled at high speed on the windy mountainous highway from Salmon Arm to Sicamous.
The police tried to stop him but he continued at speed ignoring their flashing lights.
Almost 30 kilometres later, just outside Sicamous, Bell swerved to avoid a police spike belt and the Honda Civic he was driving rolled before careening down a steep embankment.
The crash killed Bell's passenger, 28-year-old mother of four, Brittany Thompson.
Today, June 10, the Salmon Arm court heard how the two had been neighbours and Thompson had asked Bell for a lift to Salmon Arm so she could take her cat to the vet.
Crown prosecutor Alison Buchanan read out victim impact statements from Thompson's husband, her sister, and a poem submitted by her children.
"You took away my wife, you took away my best friend, you took away the mother to our children," the husband's statement read. "I am angry, confused, devastated, numb, and now live with anxiety and fear every day.
"My children are emotional and angry... my children are paying a very heavy price for your actions that day," the statement said.
Thompson's children were 10, four, three and 20 months old at the time of their mother's death.
"I feel numb," Thompson's sister's statement read.
"One year ago you made a decision that ruined multiple lives," the statement read. "You changed my mom into an empty shell."
The court heard how on May 20, 2021, Bell, had ignored a police stop as he drove back from Salmon Arm to Sicamous at 4 p.m. with Thompson in the passenger seat.
Police had decided not to pursue Bell as he drove at 130 km/h on the two-lane windy highway and instead laid a spike belt across the road near the Bruhn Bridge.
Bell tried to avoid it and the car ended up down a steep embankment.
Paramedics tried to resuscitate Thompson but she was pronounced dead at the scene.
Thompson was also seriously injured and was airlifted to Kamloops hospital.
The police watchdog, the Independent Investigations Office of B.C. investigated the incident before concluding the RCMP officers did not commit an offence during the traffic stop.
The court heard how a blood test found meth, cannabis, and ketamine in Bell's system.
At the time of the fatal crash, the 34-year-old had been banned from driving and was supposed to be under house arrest for robbery.
The court heard Bell had a criminal record six pages in length and had put stolen licence plates on the Honda.
Today, Bell pleaded guilty to the dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death, fleeing from police, and driving while prohibited.
Bell's lawyer Justin Dosanjh told the court his client had struggled with addiction to alcohol and cocaine and not long before the accident started using meth.
Dosanjh said, although couldn't confirm, that Bell had a brain injury prior to the incident, and had suffered a further brain injury during the crash.
In January. Bell's former lawyer, Ian McTavish had said that Bell could not remember the crash because of a brain injury.
Addressing the court, Bell said he was truly sorry for his action and wanted to apologize to Thompson's friends and family.
In a joint submission to the court, the Crown and defence lawyers asked for four-and-a-half years in jail.
While it is widely accepted that a judge will accept the sentencing recommendation in nearly all situations, Justice Sheri Ann Donegan said she needed more time to make a decision.
"An innocent person has lost their life," the Justice said. "I need a meaningful period of time to decide on this."
The court was adjourned and will be rescheduled for sometime in the future.
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