B.C. father sentenced for impaired driving crash that killed 7-year-old son

A B.C. man who crashed his car when he was high on meth, causing the death of his seven-year-old son and injuring his two other children and their mother, has been sentenced to six years in prison and banned from driving for 35 years.

A B.C. man who crashed his car when he was high on meth, causing the death of his seven-year-old son and injuring his two other children and their mother, has been sentenced to six years in prison and banned from driving for 35 years.

Matthew Darlington pleaded guilty one count of driving while under the influence of methamphetamine causing death in the 2021 crash, where his vehicle hit a tree on the side of the highway near Sooke. He told the court he has no memory of the crash.

The sentence was handed down in a Colwood court on Tuesday, with the judge describing Darlington as a repeat offender who "simply refuses to obey the law" and someone who should "never again drive a motor vehicle."

Darlington's criminal record "includes convictions for acts of violence and threats of violence" as well as a long history of driving offences, according to the decision.

Between 2011 and 2019, Darlington was convicted seven times of driving while prohibited. At the time of the fatal crash, he was prohibited from driving and by the time he was sentenced for he had racked up two more driving-related convictions.

"It is worthy of note that the tragic accident on Sept. 7, 2021, did not deter him from driving, in defiance of his prohibition," the decision said.

Judge Ted Gouge also said Darlington had repeatedly demonstrated "disdain for court orders," citing seven convictions for breaching bail and probation orders between 2013 and 2018.