Three years in prison for man who hit, killed pedestrian and fled scene

(Bloch told the court he was) deeply sorry for everything that happened.

In 2011, university graduate Rafiqul Islam left Bangladesh for Canada to start a new life.

In the three years he lived here, he worked for a Regina Pizza Hut before moving on to a construction job, with a portion of his income going back to Bangladesh to take care of his parents and siblings.

Islam settled into life in his new city. He was a fan of the Saskatchewan Roughriders, he enjoyed fishing and soccer, and he even learned to skate.

On the evening of Oct. 4, 2014, Islam stepped into a crosswalk at the intersection of Albert Street and Saskatchewan Drive. A Ford Escape driven by Aaron John Bloch blew a red light and struck the 27-year-old man, sending his body flying 15 metres.

He was pronounced dead at the scene.

Bloch kept driving. Witnesses said they didn’t see brake lights before or after the collision.

On Thursday, Bloch, 32, was sentenced at Regina Court of Queen’s Bench on two charges to which he previously pleaded guilty: dangerous driving causing death and hit and run.

Justice Jeff Kalmakoff listened to submissions by Crown prosecutor Bill Burge and defence lawyer Noah Evanchuk before agreeing to impose the three-year prison sentence they jointly proposed. A five-year driving prohibition will follow.

Bloch has no previous criminal record.

Court heard police noted it was dark out but the intersection was well lit, and Islam was wearing a white jacket.

While the driver fled the scene, he left pieces of his vehicle behind — pieces police identified as coming from a 2008 Ford Escape.

On Oct. 8, the investigation led police to Bloch, and police matched the debris to damage on the man’s vehicle. Police also spoke to someone who had been with Bloch some time before the collision, and learned he had been drinking that day.

Burge said the Crown was not arguing Bloch was over the legal limit at the time — a matter that would have required a trial to prove. Even so, Burge said the Crown’s theory in relation to the dangerous driving involves the presence of alcohol, the fact Bloch ignored a traffic signal, and that he hit a person in a marked crosswalk.

Evanchuk said his client was going through a “personal crisis” at the time, having recently divorced his spouse after more than 10 years together.

Evanchuk noted Bloch dealt with bullying as a young person, but went on to obtain his special care aide certificate and a nursing degree, finding work in home care.

The issues he was dealing with, the lawyer said, led to Bloch “making some damaging and reckless choices.” He has since taken steps to deal with substance abuse issues.

Bloch took the opportunity to apologize to both Islam’s and his own family, telling the court he was “deeply sorry for everything that happened.”

No one from Islam’s family was present in court, and the Crown was unable to reach them to get victim-impact statements.

Kalmakoff urged Bloch to take advantage of programming in prison so he can return to living a productive life once out.