Matthew Darlington was sentenced to six years in jail for causing a crash while impaired by drugs that killed his seven-year-old son.
On the evening of Sept. 6, 2021, Darlington, now 49, and his family returned to Vancouver Island by ferry from Vancouver. The judge noted at the Nov. 5 sentencing hearing that Darlington had ingested methamphetamine at about 7 p.m., and smoked cannabis after arriving on the Island at about 11 p.m.
Shortly before 2 a.m., Darlington crashed the vehicle into a tree on the side of the road near Sooke. His spouse was in the front passenger seat and their three children, ages seven, eight and 10, were in the back seat, all of which suffered from injuries. His seven-year-old son died of his injuries in hospital in the early morning of Sept. 7.
The judge noted Darlington has an extensive criminal record, including for violence and threats of violence, and he was convicted of driving while prohibited in 2011, 2013, 2015, 2016, twice in 2017, twice in 2019 and in 2022. He was prohibited from driving when the deadly crash occurred, and he was convicted of driving without a driverB次元官网网址檚 licence less than a year later.
"Mr. Darlington poses a serious threat to public safety. His disobedience of past driving prohibitions demonstrates that he will probably continue to drive, no matter what order I make. His lengthy and serious driving history demonstrates that, when driving, he puts others at constant risk. As a consequence, the only way in which I can protect the public from him is to order his incarceration," the judge noted.
Darlington and his spouse are now divorced and she does not want contact with him according to the judge, however, the Ministry of Children and Family Development reported that he has taken positive steps to repair his relationships with his two surviving children.
"I am mindful of the needs of Mr. DarlingtonB次元官网网址檚 surviving children, and I accept the sincerity of his wish to provide them with sound parenting. With that acknowledged, I am not satisfied that he provides a good role model," the judge noted. "He has been, over a period of many years, a man who simply refuses to obey the law. I do not believe that any contribution which he can make to his childrenB次元官网网址檚 upbringing could outweigh the need to protect the public."
In addition to the six-year jail sentence, Darlington was given a 35-year driving prohibition.
