Ryan Jordan Gibson has been sentenced to two years and eight months in prison after pleading guilty to killing Brandon Thomas while driving drunk in 2012.
Gibson, 24, received his sentence in a Calgary courtroom May 12.
In January, Gibson pleaded guilty to driving over .08 causing death and driving over .08 causing bodily harm. At that time, the Crown and defence lawyers were seeking a sentence of two years plus a day.
“Going into the courtroom, I wanted and hoped for a longer sentence,” said Brandon’s mother Kim Thomas. “In reality, I had to check myself. I was prepared to hear whatever I heard.”
Prior to announcing the sentence, Thomas said Judge Karim Jivraj expressed the joint submission of two years was unfit considering the crime.
“I started to hope for more,” Thomas remarked. “But when the judge gave his ruling of two years and eight months, I was a little disappointed.”
According to an agreed statement of facts, Gibson was in Cochrane visiting friends on the evening of the collision.
On his way back to Calgary, travelling south on Highway 22, he sideswiped two cars before his truck collided head-on with Brandon’s Subaru.
The 17-year-old died on scene.
