Kelowna Driver of Fatal Hit-and-Run Found Guilty

A guilty verdict was given to the Kelowna woman who hit and killed an 83-year-old senior in November, 2014.

In Kelowna Provincial Court Friday, 72-year-old Sharon Scott was found guilty of driving without due care and attention under the BC Motor Vehicle Act.

Around 1:00 a.m. on November 23rd, 2014, Scott was driving east on Doyle Avenue, then proceeded to make a left-hand turn into the alleyway behind the Daily Courier building. Scott was an independent contractor for the newspaper, and was picking up papers to be delivered. Scott struck 83-year-old Julie Gillespie at the mouth of the alleyway and continued driving.

During her testimony, Scott said she did not see Gillespie, as she was wearing dark clothing. She also said the lighting at the start of the alleyway was poor, and because the roadway in that area was uneven, it was not unusual for her drive into the alley to be bumpy.

An emotional Scott cried quietly as Judge Ellen Burdett said she did not accept Scott’s testimony in regards to the area’s lighting and road condition. As streetlights in the area were working, Judge Burdett said Scott should have been able to see the victim, had she been driving with careful attention. The Judge found her "inattentiveness to be extreme" on the night of the incident, as Scott failed to not only see Gillespie, but failed to realize she had hit her at all.

Scott did not face any criminal charges as lawyers previously determined there was lack of intent.

Scott will now wait for her sentencing hearing in early February. Under the BC Motor Vehicle Act, consequences could be “a fine of not more than $2,000 or to imprisonment for not more than six months or both.” Scott will likely face fine of $368 and have six points deducted from her driving penalty points.