Mother shouts 'not enough' as impaired driver sentenced to 4.5 years for crash that killed her daughter

Emotions ran high at the Montreal courthouse as the family of the victim of a drunk driver exploded in anger upon hearing that 29-year-old Francis Lawrence of St-Laurent was receiving a four-and-a-half-year sentence.

"Not enough, not enough," screamed the mother of 15-year-old Veronica Gashi as she tried to rush to the bench, only to be stopped by other relatives. She then collapsed on the floor, overcome by emotion.

Others screamed obscenities at the man responsible as he was being handcuffed and led away by special constables. Security rushed in and cleared the room.

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The sentencing caps off a three-year-old case that started when a group of modified car enthusiasts gathered after hours in the parking lot of the Carrefour Laval. The group dispersed when police arrived and regrouped in the Fairview Shopping Centre parking lot and again in the parking lot of another shopping centre in Vaudreuil-Dorion.

The group decided to return to Montreal. According to the evidence, Lawrence began racing on Highway 40 with two passengers on board against another member of his group. Court heard that Lawrence was reaching speeds of up to 200 km/h while zig-zagging between cars. His blood-alcohol limit was twice the legal limit and he had consumed cannabis.

But another one of his companions had crashed shortly before near the St-Charles exit. A second car from the group was trying to assist the driver, but Lawrence lost control of his Audi A3 and crashed into the two cars stopped by the side of the road.

A passenger of the two cars, Veronica Gashi, was killed instantly.

Lawrence suffered severe injuries but managed to recover. He was charged with several counts of dangerous driving causing death, causing injuries, and impaired driving.

Lawrence pleaded guilty to a reduced count of dangerous driving causing death. The prosecution demanded a five-year sentence, but the defence asked for a two-year term.

Justice Jean-Jacques Gagne wasn't ready to give a break to Lawrence, citing a pre-sentencing report that revealed he denied being intoxicated, denied ever racing, and said he didn't remember the events of the day, despite his guilty plea.

Gagne described Lawrence as an immature father of two who aggravated his case because of speeding and his dangerous maneuvers.

"The accused was careless and reckless, while playing a game of cat and mouse with police," he told the court. "The circumstances are troubling, and deserve a severe punishment."

The only mitigating factors considered by the judge were the accused's relative youth, the absence of a criminal record, and his decision to plead guilty.

Lawrence didn't show any emotions when the judge delivered the sentence, but that's when the family began lashing out at the judge.

Crown prosecutor Sylvie Dulude says their anger is understandable.

"We quite understand that they have lost their child, she was 15 years old so, we can understand their reaction in the court," she said, adding that the judge is bound by the case law and precedents in similar cases.

"I think it was a reasonable sentence because the judge has to consider the principles of sentencing."

Lawrence is not out of the woods yet. While he was out on bail, he was rearrested, this time on charges of domestic violence. He will have to return to court on those counts in the coming weeks.