A Barrie man who pleaded guilty in connection to a south-end crash in 2023 that killed a Georgian College student from India was handed a two-year conditional sentence in a Barrie courtroom Tuesday.
Jacob Throop was 19 years old when he was charged with dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death and failure to stop after a collision causing death. He was later released on bail.
Varsil Patel, 19, was killed in the July 21, 2023 crash on Big Bay Point Road.
With Patel’s parents, who live in India, sitting in the gallery looking on and listening to the proceedings through an interpreter, Justice Nancy Dawson sentenced Throop to two years less a day. He will serve his time at home while wearing a GPS-monitoring ankle bracelet at all times.
He was also given three years' probation at the end of his sentence, along with completing 200 hours of community service.
Throop is also barred from driving a vehicle for four years.
Crown attorney Sonny Dudani had been asking the judge for a 30-month prison sentence.
Barrie police say Patel, who was studying computer programming at Georgian College, was struck by a vehicle while he was walking near the intersection at Big Bay Point Road and Leggott Avenue just after 10 p.m. that Friday night.
Patel was pronounced dead at the scene.
Throop was arrested nearby in a plaza parking lot, at Huronia and Big Bay Point roads, where his vehicle had caught fire.
Police had said their investigation determined Patel was crossing from the south side of Big Bay Point Road to a plaza located on the north side when he was struck by the westbound vehicle.
Patel had worked at the Circle K in a plaza on Big Bay Point Road, not far from where he was struck and killed.
On Tuesday, court heard that Throop was operating a "heavily modified" Subaru car, which was later determined by police to be unsafe due to the third-party modifications with “limited mechanical knowledge and understanding.”
His vehicle’s original steering wheel had been replaced with an off-road steering wheel with no airbag, and also had poorly modified struts, improperly installed off-road seats, a five-point harness incorrectly installed instead of the factory seatbelts, and tires which were stretched to fit the rims, court heard.
Throop’s car also had window tinting which impeded the view of the driver, according to the statement of facts read out in court today.
Court also heard Throop had been driving in the range of 105 to 130 kilometres per hour on Big Bay Point Road, leading up to the moment of impact. The posted speed limit in that area is 50 km/h.
The headlights on his vehicle were also off, despite travelling at night, court heard.
At the time of the crash, Patel was crossing Big Bay Point Road against the pedestrian light when Throop, who had a green light, struck him, court heard.
Throop, who had a G2 driver’s licence, applied his brakes less than one second before impact.
Just 10 days prior to the fatal crash, court heard Throop had been charged with speeding, where he was clocked at 65 km/h in a 50 zone. He was also ticketed for having illegal window tinting on his car.
Patel’s parents submitted a victim impact statement, which was read into the court record by Dudani.
“He was the only hope for the upliftment of the family. We are all broken mentally and emotionally,” they wrote of their only child. “This devastating loss touches every aspect of our life emotionally, physically and economically."
Court also heard that Throop had seen a psychotherapist in several occasions.
"I take full responsibilities for my actions that night," Throop said in court Tuesday. "The guilt I feel will live with me for the rest of my life.
"I hope you can find it in your hearts to forgive me," he said while looking at Patel's parents.
Court heard there is also a civil suit against Throop by Patel’s family due to his death.
