Sentencing date set for driver found guilty of killing Girl Guide and injuring troop

The London driver of a vehicle found guilty of killing an eight-year-old girl and injuring others in her Girl Guide troop will be sentenced in June.

Petronella McNorgan, 79, will be back in court on June 20 and 21 to learn her fate after a jury convicted her in April of criminal negligence causing death and seven counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm.

During the trial, the court heard that McNorgan drove her Honda CRV westbound through the intersection of Wonderland Road and Riverside Drive at high speed on the evening of Nov. 30, 2021. 

As McNorgan's car travelled through the intersection, reaching speeds of 121 km/h, she clipped the back bumper of a Jeep stopped at the red light. From there, her car continued through the intersection, struck a light pole, and slammed into a group of Girl Guides and their chaperones as they walked on a sidewalk.

The car eventually came to a stop in the parking lot of a park on the south side of Riverside Drive, more than 300 metres away from the initial collision. 

A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the victims, including the eight-year-old girl who was killed and the seven others who were injured. 

Over the course of the two-day sentencing hearing, McNorgan will hear from victims when they read impact statements. The trial was overseen by Judge Pamela Hebner who will continue to preside over sentencing.