A P.E.I. lobster boat captain has been sentenced to nine months in jail on two counts of dangerous operation of a conveyance causing death. He had put his boat on autopilot, when the vessel struck another fishing boat, killing two people aboard.
CBC NewsFirefighters and paramedics at the wharf in Murray Harbour after the fatal collision in June 2018.Clarence Barry White will also be prohibited from operating a vessel for three years. He will, however, be able to work on his fishing boat after his release from jail, with someone else at the helm.
Justin MacKay and Chris Melanson's relatives had given victim impact statements in an earlier court proceeding."He pointed his vessel for home, engaged his autopilot and hoped for the best," Justice Gregory Cann said of White while announcing his sentencing decision on Thursday. White was found guilty following a trial last year in P.E.I. Supreme Court, though not on the more serious charges that had been laid of criminal negligence causing death.The federal prosecutor says the sentence sends a message to fishing crews, truckers and others who operate heavy machinery on a professional basis.
"The distractions of modern society are many, from electronic devices to running a small business," Cann told the court. "Those distractions can get people killed ... Time behind the wheel is not time to get other things done."The tragedy, almost four years ago, and the legal process that followed have been difficult for members of the close-knit fishing communities of Eastern Prince Edward Island.
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