OFFICER FACING JAIL IN HIGH-SPEED CRASH THAT KILLED BOY, 5

A provincial police officer who crashed into a car at high speed and killed a five-year-old boy during a surveillance operation will likely be sentenced to jail time. The Crown and the defence submitted a joint proposal to the court on Monday in Longueuil, Que., recommending that Patrick Ouellet receive an eight-month sentence. Quebec court Judge Eric Simard is expected to render his decision at the end of November. Ouellet was convicted in July of dangerous driving causing the 2014 death of Nicholas Thorne-Belance. The maximum term is 14 years’ imprisonment. The police officer addressed the court, expressing his sympathy to family members of Nicolas, who were in the courtroom. Ouellet’s trial heard he was travelling at more than 120 km/h in a 50 km/h zone when he hit the vehicle carrying the boy, who died later in hospital. “We have taken into consideration all the jurisprudence, in particular the sentences handed down to police officers who have come before the court in circumstances similar to those in this case,” prosecutor Genevieve Langlois said.