A man who pleaded guilty in connection with a hit-and-run collision that claimed the life of a 54-year-old military veteran in Sydney has been sentenced to four years in prison.
Jackie Dean Deveau had been receiving treatment for PTSD at the Cape Breton Regional Hospital when he was struck on Highway 125, just outside of the hospital, on March 11, 2017.
In January, 27-year-old Thomas Joseph Smith of Sydney pleaded guilty to leaving the scene, driving while disqualified, and obstruction of justice by destroying evidence.
He was handed his sentence Thursday afternoon.
"The feelings are hard to describe,” says Deveau’s sister Ida Lelievre. “We're satisfied. The judge could have given him 300 years and it wouldn't have made any difference."
Charges of criminal negligence causing death and dangerous driving causing death were dropped in exchange for the guilty pleas.
Five other people have been charged with being an accessory after the fact in connection with the incident.
Smith wasn’t arrested until more than two months after the crash. Court was told he hid the vehicle in the meantime.
"He decided he was not going to stop to render assistance. He was going to try to leave the scene,” says Crown attorney Shane Russell. “He made extensive efforts to cover up his crime."
In a victim impact statement, Deveau's wife Lorna spoke of the irony that, "as a soldier, Jackie was trained to never leave a man down."
Smith apologized to the family and the court, saying in part, "I know that what I did was wrong, and I accept responsibilities for my actions. I am very hopeful that after today you can have some closure.”
Meanwhile, the family has submitted an official complaint to the hospital questioning why Deveau was on the highway that night.
"We have lots of questions and I'm not going away until we get them," says Lelievre.
With files from CTV Atlantic’s Ryan MacDonald.
