Driver spared jail in crash that killed friends
The only adult involved in a car crash that killed two Milton Grade 12 students has received a conditional discharge.
Brian Lund, 18, was also given a six-month curfew of 11 p.m., as part of probation conditions handed down by Justice David Harris in Milton court Tuesday.
Lund’s defence lawyer, Ken Byers, asked for the discharge. Assistant Crown Attorney Arish Khoorshed sought four months in jail and a conditional sentence.
Lund showed no reaction to the sentencing and agreed to all the terms, including a twoyear licence suspension. He also must perform 75 hours of community service and serve two years’ probation.
In February, Lund pleaded guilty to dangerous driving, and by doing so, was not required to admit that his driving caused the deaths of his friends.
It’s the same charge to which three other Milton teens, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, pleaded guilty. They received the same sentence last year.
The crash that killed Faruq Anani and Dylan Stephenson took place along James Snow Parkway, east of Esquesing Line, at 2:30 p.m. on April 10, 2016, when Anani lost control of a Nissan 350Z.
The vehicle struck a concrete light standard, shearing it at its base before bursting into flames. Anani was pronounced dead at the scene; Stephenson was flown to hospital, where he later died.
The Halton Regional Police Service’s collision reconstruction unit provided evidence in extensive pretrial hearings, including the fact that several vehicles were speeding throughout Milton streets.
Investigators used surveillance cameras to determine the speeds they reached, which in one case was as much as 139 km/h.
In sentencing, Harris called the community service hours and licence suspension “restorative justice.”
“I find a conditional discharge is the appropriate sentence,” Harris said. “This was a planned and deliberate event that put themselves and others in the car and in the community at significant risk.”
However, he said Lund has accepted responsibility for his actions and that he has shown remorse.