Tears flow in court as speeding driver gets jail
BMW was doing more than double the speed limit through residential neighbourhood
A silent courtroom changed to loud sobbing and quiet weeping on Wednesday as Justice Stuart Konyer sentenced Davison Weir to jail.
Weir’s victims and their loved ones held each other and wiped away tears as the 20-year-old was led out of the courtroom in handcuffs while his family and loved ones bawled as they learned he was headed to jail.
Weir pleaded guilty in November, 2023 to three counts of dangerous operation causing bodily harm in connection to a crash that left a woman and two young boys with severe injuries.
At the time of the crash, Weir was driving a BMW M15 more than double the speed limit through a residential neighbourhood in Peterborough, court heard.
“These offences were exceptionally serious,” Konyer explained in his verdict.
“Immaturity is the only possible explanation for his extreme risktaking behaviour,” added Konyer.
Earlier this month, the Crown submitted that 30 months in custody would be a fit sentence for the crime, while Weir’s defence argued for a conditional sentence. While a jail term to be served in the community was available for Konyer to consider, he said it wouldn’t adequately hold Weir to account for his actions.
Konyer sentenced Weir to 12
Immaturity is the only possible explanation for his extreme risk-taking behaviour.
STUART KONYER JUSTICE
months in jail with two years of probation to follow, and a fouryear driving prohibition.
“The proper message to the community is that dangerous driving offences that result in harm to others will always result in harsh sentences,” he explained.
Konyer said the conditions in provincial jails are notoriously harsh, and he fully understands that a jail sentence will he harmful to Weir, but the main focus had to be on denunciation and deterrence.
“Nothing short of a period incarceration can achieve these goals,” added Konyer.
According to the agreed statement of facts, Weir was travelling south on Armour Road around 6 p.m. on Dec. 22, 2022 when he crashed into an Equinox that was attempting to turn left onto Armour Rd from Dufferin Street.
Numerous witnesses spotted Weir travelling quickly with various speed estimates, the court heard.
A residential security camera captured his driving just prior to the collision, but not the crash itself. It includes audible extreme acceleration after the defendant turned onto Armour Road, the court heard.
“Following the collision, the police conducted an analysis of the airbag control module in his vehicle. Just prior to the collision the defendant reached 137 km/h in this 50 km/h zone,” assistant Crown attorney David Parkes told the court in Nov. 2023.
“He owed a duty of care to the other users of the road to operate his vehicle in a safe manor,” added Konyer.
“His breach of the duty is egregious.”
Peterborough Fire Services needed to use the Jaws of Life to extract a woman, her nineyear-old son, and her son’s eight-year-old friend.
The woman suffered a broken vertebrae in her back, while her son suffered internal bleeding that required surgery and resulted in the loss of his kidneys.
His friend suffered a broken vertebrae and bleeding from the brain. Both boys were sent to Sick Kid’s hospital. After being released, the eight-year-old required rehab at a children’s facility.