Lengthy prison sought for U.S. motorist's 'reprehensible' targeting of pedestrian in Windsor
Even the defence describes as 'reprehensible' what a motorist is seen doing in a video of a woman on foot being intentionally targeted and struck down in downtown Windsor.
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But lawyer Evan Weber described as 'grossly disproportionate' the lengthy prison sentence of up to eight years being sought for his client by the prosecution.
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A sentencing hearing was held Thursday before Superior Court Justice Kelly Gorman to help determine the punishment for Shermere Coulston-Hawkins, 24. Originally charged with a number of criminal offences, including attempted murder and aggravated assault, the young American pleaded guilty instead last month to lesser charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and assault.
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The victim, a Belle River woman the Philadelphia man had been communicating with online before visiting Canada for the first time to meet, had been fighting on Dec. 23, 2023, at Devonshire Mall over the contents of her cellphone. Coulston-Hawkins confessed to having choked her.
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One of the aggravating factors in the case, according to assistant Crown attorney Zachary Battiston, is how the offender fled the scene. The victim 'was left on the pavement on Christmas Eve, and she was left in an unknown state to him,' said Battiston.
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There is a wide gap in the punishment proposals Justice Gorman must consider ahead of her verdict expected in August.
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The offence, which left the victim seriously injured, 'merits significant punishment,' Battiston argued, adding the court must send a strong message of denunciation and deterrence. The Crown called for a prison sentence of between four and eight years.
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The defence, pointing to mitigating factors such as the adult offender's young age (23 at the time), lack of a prior criminal record, and his show of remorse in pleading guilty, called for an 18-month sentence, followed by a period of probation.
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With the offender having remained behind bars since his arrest on Dec. 24, 2023, a sentence in the latter range would probably mean that Coulston-Hawkins is free to go. Whatever length of sentence he ends up serving, Battiston told the court it's 'almost a certainty he'll be deported.'
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While 'reprehensible,' Weber said his client's action behind the wheel was the result of a 'terribly poor, impulsive decision.' Referring to the victim, Battiston said it's 'undoubted that this event will have forever changed her life.'
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