Drunk driver takes blame for fatal crash

A Cape Breton man about to be sentenced for killing a couple while driving drunk is apologizing to their families.

At his sentencing hearing Monday in Port Hawkesbury, Michael Cooper admitted he was drinking the day he got behind the wheel and smashed into the car carrying Michael MacLean and his fiance Angela Smits.

"It was my fault," Cooper told the court. "I can't do nothing about that now."

Cooper, 47, from Cleveland, pleaded guilty last November to two counts of impaired driving causing death.

MacLean, 20, and Smits, 19, were heading home to the Sydney area on May 14, 2004, when Cooper's pickup crossed the centre line of Highway 104 near River Bourgeois.

MacLean and Smits were pronounced dead at the scene.

Cooper suffered a brain injury in the crash and has been living in an assisted-care centre under several court-imposed conditions, including no driving.

'I am sorrys' not enough: dad

Twelve victim impact statements from relatives of both victims were given to the court. One of the four read out was by Jerry Smits, Angela's father.

"All the 'I am sorrys' in the world cannot repair the damage he has caused my family's heart, not to mention my daughter's life," Smits said in his statement.

He told the court the crash was a senseless act that destroyed a whole family and all he wants is his daughter back.

Prosecutor Robin Archibald recommends Cooper spend six to eight years in federal prison.

The Crown says Cooper's blood alcohol level was three times the legal limit about three hours after the crash, evidence suggesting he had spent seven hours in a tavern and drank as many as 16 beers.

Defence lawyer Denise Boudreau says her client will never recover from his brain injury and time in federal prison could cause him to regress. She suggests a three- to four-year sentence.

Supreme Court Justice Simon MacDonald will sentence Cooper on Tuesday.