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House arrest sentence ‘a slap in the face’ Parents of 20-year-old killed in car crash involving drunk driver shocked at decision Donna and Wayne Lockyer’s long road to justice for their only son — who died in a crash with a drunk driver — ended Wednesday with a slap in the face. The woman convicted of impaired driving causing death in connection with the 2004 crash that killed 20-year-old Cory Lockyer was given 90 days of house arrest as part of a two-year conditional sentence. But Dominika Duris, 25, now faces two drunk driving charges in Calgary after allegedly being caught two years ago with a blood-alcohol level that exceeded the legal limit. She has entered a not guilty plea and is to appear in a Calgary court June 27. “I’m flabbergasted,” Donna said outside of court, adding the family only learned about the other charges just before Wednesday’s court hearing. She said she was prepared to accept Duris’s conditional sentence and believed the woman, who gave a tearful statement at her sentencing hearing, was remorseful. “With her victim impact statement, she led me to believe that she was remorseful about it,” the mother said. “Hearing this new charge against her blows it all out the window.” Added her former husband, Wayne: “It’s just like a slap in the face.” The Lockyers say the second impaired driving charge, which hasn’t been proven in court, suggests a worrying pattern. “She’s continuing the same behaviour,” Donna said. “That just scares me for some other family.” When asked about the new charges, Duris said she had no comment and looked away. Duris, who had tears streaming down her face during the hearing, was given a two-year conditional sentence, including 90 days of house arrest and six months with a strict curfew. She’s banned from driving for five years and will be under probation for one year following the conditional sentence. She must abstain from alcohol and drugs and perform 200 hours of community service. Ontario Court Justice Robert Fournier also ordered the woman to speak at three different high schools about the dangers of drunk driving. The Crown had asked for a twoyear jail term and an eight-year driving prohibition, but Fournier ruled a conditional sentence is appropriate because the trial evidence suggested Duris’s level of impairment was slight to moderate and her decision to drive didn’t constitute recklessness. “It is the perfect storm created by the combination of factors, which in turn, resulted in the death of (Lockyer),” Fournier said. The judge also noted Duris has no criminal record, a supportive family, is intent on rehabilitation and poses no threat to the public. She’s also suffered a great deal awaiting the court’s final decision in the matter, including the stigmatization of being a drunk driver, Fournier said. This was the second trial for Duris, who walked free six years ago after a judge threw out breath readings taken by police after concluding they violated her rights. The Ontario Court of Appeal overturned the ruling and ordered the new trial. This time, prosecutors relied on readings from a sample of Duris’s blood, which showed her blood alcohol level to be between one and a half and two times the legal limit. Duris admitted at the beginning of the trial she was driving impaired that night, but argued there was no evidence her “slight” impairment was a cause of the crash. Fournier said in his decision he believed Duris’s impairment prevented her from reacting appropriately when she found herself in the wrong lane when rounding a bend on River Road near Hunt Club Road on Oct. 31, 2004, after drinking with Lockyer at the Montana’s restaurant where they worked. The sentencing brings to an end a long road for Lockyer’s family, many of whom were in the courtroom Wednesday. “The last thing I could do for my child was be here for him, for every part of it, and I was,” Donna said, noting she attended both trials and the appeal. “This was just something I had to do. I had to finish this for my
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