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Quebec Police Officer Gets 8-Month Sentence For Crash That Killed Boy

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 20 Nov, 2018 01:25 PM

LONGUEUIL, Que. — A former Quebec provincial police officer who slammed into a car at high speed and killed a 5-year-old boy has been sentenced to eight months in jail.

Patrick Ouellet was sentenced today in a suburb south of Montreal, more than four years after the February 2014 death of Nicolas Thorne-Belance.

Quebec court Judge Eric Simard said the joint sentencing recommendation presented to him last month by the Crown and defence was reasonable.

Simard took into consideration Ouellet's dismissal from the force and his low risk of recidivism.

But the judge also highlighted the former officer's flagrant lack of judgment and the impact of his actions on the family of the young boy.

Ouellet's trial heard he was part of a surveillance operation and was travelling in an unmarked police car at more than 120 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when he hit the car driven by Nicolas' father.

Nicolas died a few days later in hospital.

Ouellet, who was convicted in July of dangerous driving causing the boy's death, kept his eyes down as his sentence was read.

Thorne-Belance's family hugged each other following the sentencing but didn't comment to reporters.

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