The man charged in connection with the 2016 crash that killed cyclist Bradley Dean has pleaded guilty to driving without due care and attention.
Michael Wing Sing Fan entered his plea Tuesday morning in Richmond provincial court, which was packed so full of spectators that extra seats had to be brought in.
Dean's wife, Adele Esnault-Oka, who learned she was pregnant with his child days after his death, addressed Fan in an emotional victim impact statement.
"You stole him from me," she said. "You killed one man, but you destroyed countless lives."
Dean was riding with a group of cyclists on River Road when an oncoming vehicle plowed into them, killing the 33-year-old and leaving two others seriously injured.
The court heard that Fan stayed at the scene after the collision, and was distraught but cooperative with police. When he learned someone had died, he threw up.
Fan was charged under the Motor Vehicle Act, a decision that greatly upset Dean's family, who twice pleaded to B.C.'s attorney general to review the case and upgrade it to a criminal count.
But the Ministry of Attorney General declined, saying prosecutors made the call after a careful review of the evidence.
The Crown has asked that Fan be given an $1,800 fine and one-year driving prohibition. The maximum penalty for the charge is a $2,000 fine and six months in jail.
The court heard Fan spent the night before the crash drinking at a party and then going to the Starlight Casino, and that he hadn't slept when he got behind the wheel.
He wasn't drunk, however, and blew a 0.014 blood alcohol level when given a breathalyzer test. Police said he did fall asleep in the back of their cruiser on the way to the detachment.
Dean's friend, Chris Jameson, was one of the two cyclists left severely injured by the crash, and missed the birth of his own son because of the months he had to spend recovering in hospital. He also delivered a powerful message to the driver in court Tuesday.
"Thank you, Michael Fan, for taking these irreplaceable moments away from me. I hope it was a good party," Jameson said.
With files from CTV Vancouver's Maria Weisgarber
