BRADY ROBERTSON SENTENCED TO 17 YEARS IN JAIL FOR BRAMPTON CRASH THAT KILLED CALEDON MOM AND YOUNG KIDS

21-YEAR-OLD FROM CALEDON SENTENCED IN ONTARIO COURT OF JUSTICE IN BRAMPTON ON MAY 16

A 21-year-old from Caledon was sentenced to 17 years in jail for a fatal crash in Brampton in June 2020 that caused "catastrophic" loss.

"I've avoided calling this an accident," said Justice Sandra Caponecchia, in Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on Monday (May 16). "These crimes were 100 per cent avoidable."

The judge sentenced Brady Robertson to 17 years in jail, with eligibility for parole after he has served one-third of that, and a 20-year driving prohibition that will begin after he is out of custody.

Caledon mom, Karolina Ciasullo, 37, and her three daughters, Klara, 6, Lilianna, 3, and Mila, 1, died after their Volkswagen Atlas was struck by Robertson's blue Infiniti G35 on June 18, 2020 at Torbram Road and Countryside Drive.

Family and friends of the Ciasullo family spoke to media outside the court following the decision.

Connie Ciasullo, Michele's sister, said even though the sentence was "precedent setting," it was "still a slap in the face" to the victims.

She noted Robertson will serve 14 years in jail,

after taking his pretrial custody into consideration, which amounts to three and a half years per life taken in the crash.

Robertson has been in custody since he was arrested on June 24, 2020.

"I wouldn't have celebrated even if he got a life sentence," she said.

"Our whole family is devastated," said Anna Martin, Karolina's sister. "We will never recover from this."

Robertson was driving extremely fast fleeing from a Peel Police officer at the time of the crash, Caponecchia said.

He also had eight times the legal limit of THC in his blood and an unknown quantity of a sedative, flubromazolam.

The Caledon man pleaded guilty to four counts of dangerous driving causing death but also pleaded not guilty to five other charges, including four counts of impaired driving causing death.

His lawyer mounted a constitutional challenge to the THC limits for the impaired driving charges.

Caponecchia dismissed the challenge earlier in March.

Robertson was also convicted of one count of dangerous driving in connection with a collision in Caledon two days before the fatal.

Robertson crashed into planters outside Butter and Cup coffee shop in Southfields on June 16 after seemingly falling

asleep at the wheel. The judge said the fact no one was hurt in that collision was "pure happenstance."

Caponecchia said in both incidents, Robertson showed a "cavalier" attitude toward the rules of the road and the safety of others.

During sentencing proceedings, Crown attorney Patrick Quilty presented more than 70 victim impact statements to the court a few days before Christmas.

The Ciasullo family, including Karolina's husband Michele, described the "monumental impact" of the loss. First responders and community members also described overwhelming trauma.

"These deaths have impacted every aspect of

their lives," Caponecchia said.

Last month, Quilty called for Robertson to serve 23 years incarceration, as well as a lifetime driving ban and delayed chance of parole.

Defence attorney Craig Bottomley argued the sentence proposed by the Crown was excessive and asked for a more moderate incarceration of seven years.

The judge said she took into consideration Robertson's troubling upbringing, his youth, lack of prior criminal record and remorse into his sentence.

She also noted that his actions took "an entire family away," the impact of which will "last a lifetime."

"There are times when a

sentence needs to move beyond sentences in other cases," she said.

Jennifer Neville-Lake, who lost her three children and father after Marco Muzzo crashed into their van in 2015, attended the court hearing and spoke to media about the tragedy of another family going through the same thing she did. "We shouldn't be going through this again," she said.

The Ciasullo family called on the provincial government to create more stringent laws when it comes to dangerous driving and impaired driving.

"The judge did what she could," Connie Ciasullo said. "Our government needs to do more, to step up."