Man convicted in Cape Breton hit and run granted day parole, mother of victim says
A man sentenced to prison time less than a year ago in the hit-and-run death of a young girl in Cape Breton in 2019 has been granted day parole, according to the mother of the victim.
Susan Arsenault, the mother of 10-year-old Talia Forrest, told CTV News Atlantic on Tuesday that the man convicted in the case – Colin Tweedie – was granted day parole last Friday during a Parole Board of Canada hearing that she watched via videolink.
Forrest was killed after being struck by an SUV while out riding her bicycle with a friend on the Black Rock Road in Cape Breton's Victoria County on the night of July 11, 2019.
Last July, Tweedie was sentenced to four-and-a-half years in prison after being found guilty on three charges in connection with the case: dangerous driving causing death, impaired driving causing death and leaving the scene of an accident.
Tweedie had originally been found not guilty on all three counts, but the Nova Scotia Court of Appeal later overturned that decision and ordered a new trial.
Forrest's cousin Halen Williams spoke with reporters on Monday after the family learned about the parole board decision.
'Shocking, but not surprised, with the court system,' Williams said. 'We spent five years fighting for justice, while he (Tweedie) was not even spending a minute behind bars, so it's not very surprising. '
CTV News Atlantic contacted the Parole Board of Canada, which said on Tuesday it would not confirm the outcome of any review or discuss the specifics of a case until the details of a parole board decision are ready to be made public - adding that in some cases, that can take up to 15 days after a decision is made.
A date for which Tweedie's day parole is set to start has not yet been confirmed.
Talia Forrest
Talia Forrest is seen in this photo. The 10-year-old girl died after being struck by a vehicle in Big Bras d'Or, N.S., in July 2019.
For more Nova Scotia news, visit our dedicated provincial page
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