Drunk driver sentenced to 2 years for killing Wray Hart

A New Brunswick man has been sentenced to two years in prison and three years probation for driving drunk and killing a Halifax man in January 2018.

Dennis Donald Patterson, 24, was sentenced Thursday in Halifax provincial court.

Wray Hart, 63, was killed when he was struck by Patterson's car early on the morning of Jan. 27, 2018.

In an agreed statement of facts, the court was told that Hart was pushing a shopping cart full of recyclables along the side of Queen Street in Halifax's south end. Patterson was driving south when he hit Hart and wedged him under the vehicle.

An accident reconstruction expert said Patterson was going at least 89 km/h when he struck Hart. The speed limit for that road is 50 km/h.

Using breathalyzer readings taken hours after the crash, an RCMP impairment expert determined Patterson had more than twice the legal limit of alcohol in his system when the collision occurred.

The court heard victim statements from family and friends of Hart, who described the void his death has left in their lives. He would occasionally live with his sister or adult son when he needed a place to stay. Both described how Hart could be counted on to help people through tough times and always put others before himself.

Patterson addressed the court before he was sentenced and apologized to Hart's friends and family.

"I assure you it will never happen again," he said. "I'm truly very sorry to put you guys through this."

Judge Gregory Lenehan refused to describe the collision as an accident, saying Patterson's car was a lethal weapon that night.

"It was certainly foreseeable that he could or would cause serious harm or death," said Lenehan.

He said no sentence he could impose "could ever reflect the value of the life that was lost. That would be impossible."

Sentence conditions

Lenehan said that while Patterson is on probation, he must abstain from alcohol. He's also banned from driving for three years after he leaves prison. Lenehan added 50 hours of community service to the sentence and said Patterson should spend that time warning others about the dangers of drinking and driving.

"Keep your head up," the judge told Patterson, just before sheriffs led him away.