A Canadian judge agreed Wednesday that an Ottawa man involved in a hit-and-run accident evaded authorities because as a “man of color” he feared police “racism.”
Deinsberg St-Hilaire claimed he fell asleep at the wheel in 2015, striking cyclist Andy Nevin and leaving him to die. Last year, St-Hilaire was found not guilty of dangerous driving causing death but did plead guilty to obstruction of justice, the Ottawa Citizen reported.
The Ottawa landscaper’s trial heard extended testimony that St-Hilaire not only refused to turn himself into police but even tried to mask circumstances of the hit-and-run, having the damage to his truck repaired. (RELATED: Trudeau Rallies Supporters To ‘Take Action’ Against ‘Anti-Black’ Racism In Canada)
The judge could have handed the convicted man two years in jail, but Ontario Superior Court Justice Catherine Aitken opted for 100 hours of community service and a one-year curfew of 10 p.m. instead.
