Mountie must wait for verdict in fatal Tsawwassen crash

Flowers mark the corner of 6th Ave. and Gilchrist Dr. where Tsawwassen's Orion Hutchinson was killed when his motorcycle collided with a Jeep driven by RCMP Cpl. Benjamin 'Monty' Robinson in Oct. 2008.

Leader file photo

The RCMP corporal charged with obstructing justice in relation to a fatal Tsawwassen collision must wait one month to hear the verdict.

After an eight-day trial in New Westminster Supreme Court, the Crown and defence lawyers finished presenting evidence and made their closing arguments on Wednesday (Feb. 22).

Justice Janice Dillon will now deliberate and is expected to return with a verdict on March 23.

Robinson was off duty when his Jeep struck and killed 21-year-old motorcyclist Orion Hutchinson at the intersection of Gilchrist Dr. and 6 Ave. on Oct. 25, 2008.

After the accident, Robinson gave his driver's licence to a bystander and left the scene to take his two children home.

Returning to the scene later, he told police he had downed two shots of vodka at home to calm his nerves.

Crown counsel called a number of witnesses to the stand, including Anne Rough, who testified on Monday (Feb. 20) that she overheard Robinson telling a group of people how to avoid a drunk driving charge at an annual Christmas party in Tsawwassen held one year before the accident.

She said Robinson told party guests if you are drinking and driving and get into an accident, you should leave your licence at the scene and, if you are close to home or a bar, go and take a couple of shots and return to the scene.

"They can never prove if you drank before or after the accident, and leaving your licence means that you haven't technically left the scene of the accident," Rough recalled him saying. "They can't really charge you with anything severe because they can't prove if you had the drinks before or after the accident."

When Robinson took the stand the next day, he denied making the comments and that he drank after the collision in order to throw off the investigation.

Robinson said he consumed  five bottles of beer at a Halloween party he attended with his children immediately before the incident.

His defence this week called on addiction medicine expert Dr. Paul Sobey, who testified Robinson had "severe" alcohol dependency at the time of the accident and took the vodka shots because of his addiction.

It was an emotional eight days for Hutchinson's family, including his mother, Judith, who spoke to reporters outside the court house this week.

"We've always maintained, since the very beginning, that the true crime here is the utter lack of responsibility and basic humanity shown by the accused at the scene," she said.