It was just after 11:30 p.m. as Emily Sheane made her way through Burnaby from her job at Joe Fortes restaurant in Vancouver.
The 25-year-old had called ahead to tell her family she was leaving work for home.
It was raining and dark on that March 9, 2016 night.
Sheane’s red Corolla pulled up to a red light on Moscrop Street at Willingdon Avenue. It was 11:37 p.m.
The light turned green and Sheane started driving into the intersection. She would never make it through.
Minutes before, Ibrahim Ali was behind the wheel of a Range Rover speeding along Willingdon. He wasn’t supposed to be driving. The 25-year-old Burnaby resident with a criminal past was prohibited from driving. He also got his hands on the Range Rover by using a bad cheque.
As the SUV headed toward the light, he told his passenger to “buckle up.”
In a blink of an eye, the Range Rover ran the red light, smashing into the driver’s side door of the smaller Corolla.
The collision killed Sheane instantly. Ali and a passenger took off. The pair would eventually make their way to Creston, where they would be arrested a few days later.
Back in Burnaby, when Sheane didn’t arrive home at her expected time, her dad and boyfriend decided to look for her, retracing her route home from work. They eventually came across the crash scene and were later given the tragic news.
These were some of the heart wrenching facts heard in court at Ali’s sentencing hearing.
Ali, also a Burnaby resident, had pleaded guilty to dangerous driving causing death and failing to stop at an accident causing bodily harm.
Sheane’s family, friends and coworkers packed a Vancouver courtroom Thursday for the first day of an emotional sentencing hearing.
Crown is seeking a 4.5-year sentence total for the two charges, while the defense is asking for a three-year sentence.
Crown council Jonas Dow spent much of the hearing reviewing the facts of the case and making the argument for the stiffer sentence due to aggravating factors.
He delved into Ali’s background, noting the accused has 20 convictions going back to his youth in 2007.
In 2012, Ali served more than three years for a robbery. Dow also noted the accused has convictions for driving dangerously that, he said, demonstrates a pattern.
The sentencing was also an opportunity to hear from Sheane’s family.
“Emily was the bright light in many lives,” Dow told the court prior to reading portions of victim impact statements.
Her sisters, brother and boyfriend’s statements also touched on the sadness that has gripped the family since the deadly crash.
Sheane’s mom Judy said the events of March 9 were “every parent’s nightmare.”
“I never got to say goodbye and tell her I love her,” she said. “I’m devastated.”
Court also learned more about Ali. He was born in Turkey but immigrated to Canada with his family in 1992. He went to high school in Burnaby, but his lawyer said he got involved with the “wrong crowd.” His lawyer also suggested Ali’s life went into a spiral after his grandfather died at the beginning of the year.
Outside the courtroom, Sheane’s sister Jenny Berger told the media the family is frustrated by Ali’s criminal history.
“Our justice system really needs to step up its game and do harsher punishments with repeat offenders,” she said. “It’s not fair, he’ll be out by the time he’s 30 hurting someone else, and it’s just not fair. You can’t take back someone once they’re gone.”
Berger also described the toll her sister’s death has had on her family.
“Our family wants this over, we need to heal and we need to get through this,” she said.
Ali’s sentencing hearing is scheduled to continue on Dec. 21.
