Sentencing underway for driver who pleaded guilty in fatal Burnaby hit-and-run
Family and friends of Charles Masala, the 53-year-old who was struck and killed by an SUV while cycling up Burnaby Mountain two years ago, faced the accused Tuesday as his sentencing hearing got underway.
Sumeet Mangat, 24, pleaded guilty in October to impaired operation of conveyance causing death and failure to stop after an accident resulting in death.
Under the Criminal Code, each charge carries a maximum sentence of 10 years.
Masala was an engineer with two master's degrees who moved to Canada from Zambia in 1991.
“He was one person that just uplifted everyone,” said Grace Mchaina, one of Masala’s sisters. “He wanted the best for everyone.”
“It just breaks my heart,” said Nellie Masala, who had travelled from the U.K. to make a statement at the hearing.
“Something should have been done before this happened.”
According to the victim's family, he was headed out for his regular weekend bike ride in June 2019 when he was struck and killed.
His widow, Michelle, told CTV News on Tuesday that she and the couple’s two young children still have not figured out how to live without him.
“He lost the right to change the world and that’s what he was planning on doing,” shesaid.
In a statement to the court, the accused told the Masala family he was remorseful, and wished he could undo the damage that he’d done.
“There are no words in this statement that can capture the remorse, the sorrow, and how sorry I feel,” Mangat told court.
Crown is asking for a three to four year sentence, while defence told the judge any jail sentence would act as a deterrent, no matter the length.
“We really hope that there is some kind of justice served,” said Chisomo Mchaina, the victim's niece.
She added: “Ultimately we would want our uncle back and that’s just not going to happen unfortunately.”
Michelle Masala said she doesn’t see an opportunity for justice, but instead, a call for change, highlighting the precedent in Canada of what she called low sentences for impaired drivers who took another life.
“How can we just do something so that the path my family has walked is easier for the next family (who loses someone to an impaired driver), because there will be a next family,” she asked.
Mangat’s next court appearance is scheduled for early January.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Quebec nurse had to clean up after husband's death in Montreal hospital
On a night she should have been mourning, a nurse from Quebec's Laurentians region says she was forced to clean up her husband after he died at a hospital in Montreal.
Northern Ont. lawyer who abandoned clients in child protection cases disbarred
A North Bay, Ont., lawyer who abandoned 15 clients – many of them child protection cases – has lost his licence to practise law.
Bank of Canada officials split on when to start cutting interest rates
Members of the Bank of Canada's governing council were split on how long the central bank should wait before it starts cutting interest rates when they met earlier this month.
Maple Leafs fall to Bruins in Game 3, trail series 2-1
Brad Marchand scored twice, including the winner in the third period, and added an assist as the Boston Bruins downed the Toronto Maple Leafs 4-2 to take a 2-1 lead in their first-round playoff series Wednesday
Cuban government apologizes to Montreal-area family after delivering wrong body
Cuba's foreign affairs minister has apologized to a Montreal-area family after they were sent the wrong body following the death of a loved one.
'It was instant karma': Viral video captures failed theft attempt in Nanaimo, B.C.
Mounties in Nanaimo, B.C., say two late-night revellers are lucky their allegedly drunken antics weren't reported to police after security cameras captured the men trying to steal a heavy sign from a downtown business.
What is changing about Canada's capital gains tax and how does it impact me?
The federal government's proposed change to capital gains taxation is expected to increase taxes on investments and mainly affect wealthy Canadians and businesses. Here's what you need to know about the move.
New Indigenous loan guarantee program a 'really big deal,' Freeland says at Toronto conference
Canada's Deputy Prime Minister Chrystia Freeland was among the 1,700 delegates attending the two-day First Nations Major Projects Coalition (FNMPC) conference that concluded Tuesday in Toronto.
'Life was not fair to him': Daughter of N.B. man exonerated of murder remembers him as a kind soul
The daughter of a New Brunswick man recently exonerated from murder, is remembering her father as somebody who, despite a wrongful conviction, never became bitter or angry.