Driver who ran red light, killing cyclist, gets two years in jail
Posted September 28, 2016 3:08 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A 23-year-old Toronto man who ran a red light and killed a cyclist almost three years ago will spend two years less a day in jail.
Judge Gary Trotter also sentenced Aleksey Aleksev to three years’ probation and a 15-year driving ban in a Toronto court on Wednesday.
Earlier this year, Aleksev was convicted of manslaughter, dangerous driving causing death and criminal negligence causing death. It was found he was driving recklessly and speeding when he ran over world-class squash player Adrian Dudzicki, 23, in an intersection near Sheppard Avenue West and Allen Road on Nov. 20, 2013.
“This case is a sad reminder of the devastation that can be caused by the egregious conduct of a sober driver,” Trotter said.
“No drugs or alcohol were involved. Aleksev’s attention was diverted from the road as he adjusted the radio or heating.”
Dudzicki had been riding his bike to the National Squash Academy in Downsview when he was hit and killed instantly.
Trotter said Aleksev’s 1992 BMW “was travelling at 90 km/h when it should have been stationary.”
In a victim impact statement, Dudzicki’s father Jaroslaw said since the loss of his son, “There is just emptiness. There is no hope. There is nothing.”
Because Aleksev was sentenced to less than two years in jail, he will serve his time at a provincial institution. Those sentenced to two years or more are sent to a federal penitentiary.
Related stories:
Man charged in cyclist’s death to appear in court Thursday
Cyclist killed near Sheppard & Allen, driver facing charges
