Father sentenced to prison for crash that killed his 7-year-old son

A provincial court judge has handed a six-year prison term to a man who was behind the wheel in a crash that killed his seven-year-old son in Sooke three years ago.

Matthew Darlington pleaded guilty last month to operating a vehicle with methamphetamine in his blood, causing death, and Judge Ted Gouge has imposed the maximum sentence the Crown had asked for, saying the 49-year-old poses a “serious threat to public safety” if he isn’t held in custody.

The ruling says the man’s wife and his three children, aged seven, eight, and 10, were in the vehicle when he crashed into a concrete curb before running into a tree.

It says Darlington appears to have been unconscious at the time, with no memory of the crash, and the judge has also imposed a 35-year driving prohibition, saying he should never operate a motor vehicle again.