Photo: Times Colonist

Tanya Mann received a two year sentence followed by a two-year driving prohibition. 

A two-year sentence for a woman who was impaired when she crashed a pickup truck on Vancouver Island, killing her friend, is necessary to deter others from getting behind the wheel while drunk, a B.C. Supreme Court judge said Friday.

Tanya Mann, 46, previously pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death in the 2019 single-vehicle collision that killed 39-year-old Joseph Cruickshank near Cedar, south of Nanaimo.

At Mann’s sentencing hearing in Nanaimo on Friday, B.C. Supreme Court Justice Robin Baird heard that the pair were roommates who had started dating two months before Cruickshank’s death.

They had been drinking together and were headed to dinner in a Ford F-150 around 4:45 p.m. on Oct. 29, 2019, when Mann lost control of the truck.

The vehicle drifted into a gravel shoulder before swerving into the oncoming lane and leaving the road. The truck struck three large trees on the passenger side before rolling onto its side and roof, according to an agreed statement of facts read by Crown prosecutor Jody Patsch.

Cruickshank died at the scene of a broken neck and cranial bleeding.

At the time of the crash, Mann was driving at more than 90 kilometres per hour in a 60 km/h zone on Yellow Point Road near Hill Road. Her blood-alcohol level was found to be about twice the legal limit.

Mann told bystanders she had killed her friend, and indicated she was drunk, Patsch said. While being removed from the vehicle and transported to hospital by air ambulance, Mann repeatedly said she no longer wanted to live.

The case was set to go to trial in late 2023, but was adjourned because the investigating officer was hospitalized and unable to testify. It was rescheduled for a year later, but during a pre-trial conference, Mann’s lawyer advised that she intended to enter a guilty plea.

Addressing the court Friday, Mann said words cannot describe how horrible she feels about causing Cruickshank’s death.

“I don’t know what punishment is greater than my daily remorse. However, I am ready to accept any decision the court deems appropriate,” she said.

No family or friends attended the sentencing hearing and a victim impact statement was not submitted, Patsch said.

The Crown asked for a two-year sentence and a five-year driving prohibition, while Mann’s lawyer, Scott Sheets, recommended an 18-month conditional sentence and a two-year driving prohibition.

Baird acknowledged Mann’s remorse and the profound impact her actions have had on her life, calling her “a very sympathetic figure.”

“I know you’ve been thinking about it every day since it happened. I recognize that you were immediately remorseful. That you told first responders that you had killed your best friend and that you didn’t want to live yourself,” he said.

However, Baird said he had to bear in mind that the crash took place during the day on a well-travelled public highway and it was only by luck that no one else was killed.

He called the crash “the stuff of the nightmares of every motorist who uses any public highway in the province.”

Baird said he was confident Mann will never repeat her mistake, but her sentence needed to be severe enough to deter others from drinking and driving because they will recognize the decision could drastically alter the course of their lives.

“I don’t think you personally have to be deterred. I’m very clear on it. You have learned your lesson. I’m totally satisfied that you’re never going to do anything like this again as long as you live,” Baird said.

He sentenced Mann to two years followed by a two-year driving prohibition, saying it was the lowest he could bring himself to go to ensure Mann’s sentence is consistent with others convicted of similar offences and to keep the public safe by deterring others.

“I’m very sorry that this has to be the way for you,” he said.

Baird declined to order a DNA sample from Mann, saying it was a sign of his confidence that she would not find herself in legal trouble again.

“I know you’ll be a model prisoner and will be released at the earliest opportunity. I wish you all the very best,” Baird said.