The extreme pain and devastation that followed the death of 28-year-old Brittany Thompson could be felt in the Salmon Arm Law Courts Friday.

A BC Supreme Court sentencing hearing was held June 10 for Dorian Bell, 33, who pleaded guilty to three charges stemming from a crash on May 20, 2021 in Sicamous which killed Thompson. Thompson lived in Malakwa with her husband and four children, ranging from 20 months to 10 years. 

Bell pleaded guilty to dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death, failing to stop when driving a vehicle being pursued by police, and driving a vehicle while prohibited.

Crown counsel Alison Buchanan and defence counsel Justin Dosanjh presented a joint submission on sentencing: four-and-a-half years minus time served in prison, as well as a 10-year driving prohibition. Justice Sheri Ann Donegan did not make a decision on a sentence, stating she needed time to review all the submissions she鈥檇 received.

The court heard that about 4 p.m. on May 20, Bell was driving a 2003 silver Honda Civic with stolen licence plates near Salmon Arm. The lone passenger in the vehicle was Thompson. Just east of the Canoe Forest Products office, a Salmon Arm RCMP officer attempted a traffic stop.

The Honda took off at a high speed, passing a transport truck on a double solid line on a blind corner. The semi truck driver estimated the Honda was going about 130 km/hr. The Honda passed the next vehicle on the right-hand shoulder, half in the ditch. Two kilometres east of the mill, the Salmon Arm officer turned off the lights and siren, pulled over and radioed other officers to be on the lookout for the vehicle.

A decision was made to deploy a spike belt. It was the Thursday before the May long weekend and Sicamous was busy with vehicle and pedestrian traffic.

An officer was put on Highway 1 between Salmon Arm and Sicamous; he reported the Honda was about a kilometre west of the Bruhn Bridge. Police closed the westbound lane of traffic with a vehicle. When the Honda approached it was still going fast. Just east of the Bruhn Bridge the spike belt was pulled across the road and the driver of the Honda swerved to avoid it. The vehicle careened from side to side, rolled and then tumbled down a steep embankment on the left-hand side of the east end of the bridge, landing on its roof.

Officers and civilians with medical experience rushed to the scene and extracted the passenger via the side window. They tried life-saving measures but Thompson died at the scene. Bell, with serious injuries, was taken via air ambulance to hospital in Kamloops.

An analysis of his blood showed THC from cannabis as well as methamphetamine and ketamine.

The court heard he had spinal injuries but left the hospital against medical advice and before police could be notified. He was transferred back to B.C. and charged in June 2021.

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At the time of the incident he was subject to an order from an April 2021 theft charge that prohibited him from driving or taking intoxicating substances.

The court heard the Bell family neighboured Thompson and her family. On the day of the incident, she had asked for a ride to Salmon Arm to take her cat to the vet.

Bell appeared in court via video conferencing from the Kamloops correctional centre. With dark hair and a dark goatee-type beard, he wore prison issue orange clothing. Thompson鈥檚 sister, mother and husband attended via telephone.

Crown counsel Buchanan read out three victim impact statements. Bell could be seen crying through much of the hearing, but sobbed particularly during the statements.

The first came from Thompson鈥檚 sister who addressed Bell directly.

鈥淥ne year ago you made decisions that ruined multiple lives鈥�,鈥� she wrote.

鈥淪he was becoming the mom that I wanted to be. She will never get to know what more than a couple of years of a good life is like. She will not get to see her youngest go to school. She won鈥檛 get to see her son have his first date. She won鈥檛 get to be at their wedding鈥�

鈥淵our decisions ended her life before it got started. You changed everything. You changed my mom into an empty shell鈥� Do you know how horrible it is to see a hole, an emptiness in someone and know you can never fill it or fix it?鈥�

鈥淵ou changed me, I am a single mom who has put herself through college. When she passed away, it was during my final exams. Do you know how hard it is to focus on your schooling when you can鈥檛 see the screen through your tears?鈥�

She said she鈥檇 had an argument with her sister which she can now never resolve.

鈥淚 asked so many times, why did this happen to her after everything she had overcome. She had overcome addiction, self-hatred, homelessness, hopelessness 鈥� she overcame everything life threw at her. I never thought you鈥檇 be the one obstacle that she couldn鈥檛 make it through,鈥� she wrote to Bell.

Crown counsel Buchanan stopped at one point during the statements as her voice wavered with emotion. She then read Thompson鈥檚 husband鈥檚 statement.

鈥淟osing Brittany has changed everything for us. Because of your actions that day, you took from me my wife, you took away my best friend, you took away the mother to our children鈥� I had to quit my job to take care of my grieving family. I cannot go back to the same line of work because I had to be away from my family for periods of time. Plus my job was high risk, and I could not afford the risk of my kids losing another parent.鈥�

He said the oldest has had to grow up too quickly, while the youngest will have no memories of her mom.

He said he is physically, mentally and emotionally exhausted. His children are emotional and angry. Losing Brittany has led to broken family ties and his children are paying a very heavy price, he said.

Then a short poem written by the oldest child was read:

鈥淔amily will never get over losing their loved ones

鈥淚t doesn鈥檛 matter how long ago or how old or how they die

鈥淭he family lives with this pain every moment of their remaining lives.鈥�

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Defence lawyer Dosanjh said Bell鈥檚 brother will help him find work. Bell has worked in roofing most of his life.

He has completed Grade 8 and was diagnosed with ADHD. He has been seeing the Kamloops brain injury society who sent a letter stating he shows signs of a brain injury, a judgment his mother confirmed.

The court heard he lived with his father in Alberta for about eight years when he was a child where he was introduced to ongoing substance abuse and criminal subculture.

Bell took a course in prison and has said he intends to take more. Both Dosanjh and Buchanan said he has expressed genuine remorse.

In a verbal statement to the court, Bell said he wanted to apologize to the family and friends of Brittany Thompson.

鈥淪he didn鈥檛 deserve this, she was a good person and a good friend. I鈥檓 truly sorry.鈥�

Justice Donegan said she hoped sentencing in Salmon Arm could be scheduled within a week.