April 25, 2014 - 8:08 AM
VICTORIA - A tour bus driver convicted of hitting and killing a pedestrian in Victoria has been handed an eight month driving prohibition and fined $1,500.
Stephen Finnerty was driving for Horizon Tours in August 2012 when 27-year-old Yuka Imaizumi was run down in a crosswalk at a major intersection in downtown Victoria.
Earlier this month, a provincial court judge in Victoria convicted Finnerty, now 45-years-old, of driving without due care and attention.
During sentencing, the judge acknowledged Finnerty lost his own father in a traffic accident, has expressed remorse, is receiving counselling, has quit professional driving and has relocated his family after receiving threatening email messages and phone calls.
In a victim impact statement sent from Japan, Imaizumi's parents said they had hoped their daughter would represent the fourth generation to inherit their family restaurant and they remain devastated by her death.
After sentencing, Finnerty criticized the City of Victoria, accusing it of ignoring pleas for safety changes at the busy five-way intersection where Imaizumi died. (CFAX)
News from © The Canadian Press, 2014