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Man pleads guilty, sentenced to six years in prison for crash that killed 7-year-old

SOOKE, B.C. — Police say a man who was behind the wheel in a single-vehicle crash that killed a child on Vancouver Island has been sentenced to six years in prison. Mounties in Sooke, B.C.
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The RCMP logo is seen outside Royal Canadian Mounted Police "E" Division Headquarters, in Surrey, B.C., April 13, 2018. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

SOOKE, B.C. — Police say a man who was behind the wheel in a single-vehicle crash that killed a child on Vancouver Island has been sentenced to six years in prison.

Mounties in Sooke, B.C., say 49-year-old Matthew Darlington pleaded guilty last month to operating a vehicle with methamphetamine in his blood, causing death.

RCMP say the crash happened along Sooke Road at around 2 a.m. on Sept. 7, 2021, claiming the life of a seven-year-old child and seriously injuring four other people.

They say Darlington was sentenced in court this week.

Police say the investigation determined the car hit a concrete curb before running into a tree.

Darlington has also been prohibited from driving for 35 years and ordered to provide a sample of his DNA.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 8, 2024.

The Canadian Press