Hamilton street racers receive eight- and five-year jail sentences in death of Sara Hoang

The two men convicted in the street racing death of 25-year old Sara Hoang were given a chance to say something before the judge announced their jail sentences.

They both declined the opportunity.

It was left to Justice Bernd Zabel to do the talking, but he acknowledged nothing said or ruled upon in court would come close to addressing the loss.

There are continuing devastating effects and immense grief on (Hoang's) family, and unfortunately today's sentencing cannot alleviate their pain," he said.

On Thursday at John Sopinka Courthouse, the judge sentenced Warren Lewis to eight years in prison, and Ahmad Durani to five years.

With time already logged in custody - some of it due to a delay in the trial from COVID-19 - Lewis will serve nearly six and a half years, and Durani four years.

Deputy Crown attorney Janet Booy had recommended similar sentence ranges for the offenders.

The loss of Sara Hoang's life is a tragic event and no sentence will bring her back, but I hope these significant sentences send a strong message to others that street racing will be dealt with harshly," she told The Spectator.

Hoang, an early-childhood educator, had her life ripped away in June 2018 when Lewis' Mercedes struck her Toyota Yaris as she was pulling out of the parking lot of a bakery on Queenston Road in east Hamilton.

His speedometer was stuck at 126 km/h after the crash. The posted speed limit was 50 km/h.

Lewis, 35 at the time, had been racing Durani, 23, who was also driving a Mercedes and who fled the scene. Each were found guilty of criminal negligence causing death by street racing; Lewis was also found guilty of impaired driving causing death and breach of probation.

Both had previous criminal records. Lewis had seven speeding offences and a 2014 conviction for dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and fleeing police.

Hoang's mother and father, and her brother and two sisters, watched sentencing live on video.

Lewis's brother sat in court, while Durani's girlfriend and his father were present.

Hoang taught at the Hamilton Early Learning Centre downtown, and built and directed the children's ministry at Risen Church in Stoney Creek.

Her mother recently told The Spectator that her daughter was a selfless person, who loved with a love that her own heart couldn't contain."

Jon Wells is a Hamilton-based reporter and feature writer for The Spectator. Reach him via email: jwells@thespec.com