A 24-year-old American motorist has been sentenced to 18 months in prison for intentionally running down a woman in downtown Windsor, Ontario. Superior Court Justice Kelly Gorman described the act as "despicable" but noted that the prosecution's request for a longer sentence was not supported by legal precedents.

The Crown had sought a prison term of up to eight years for what it classified as intimate partner violence. However, Justice Gorman stated during a sentencing hearing that such a punishment was not justified by the case law. The defense argued that the Crown's proposed four- to eight-year sentence was "grossly disproportionate" to the crime.

Shermere Coulston-Hawkins, the defendant, had been in custody since his arrest on December 23, 2023, the day of the incident. He received credit for 847 days served in pre-sentence custody, effectively meaning he has already completed his jail time.

The victim, a woman from Belle River, had been on a second date with Coulston-Hawkins when they got into an argument at Devonshire Mall over her cellphone. During the altercation, Coulston-Hawkins admitted to choking her, an attack that was interrupted by a bystander. He was initially charged with seven offenses, including attempted murder and aggravated assault, but pleaded guilty in May to lesser charges of dangerous driving causing bodily harm and assault.

An aggravating factor in the case was that Coulston-Hawkins abandoned the seriously injured victim after hitting her with his vehicle. However, the judge acknowledged mitigating circumstances, such as his decision to surrender to police after visiting the hospital where the victim was treated.

Justice Gorman emphasized the importance of sending a message to the community regarding the seriousness of such actions. "Other like-minded need to hear the message," she stated. In addition to his prison sentence, Coulston-Hawkins was placed on three years of probation, during which he is prohibited from entering Canada.

Conditions typically associated with probation cannot be enforced across international borders, meaning they do not apply in the United States. During his time in custody, Coulston-Hawkins completed an anger management course. Following the sentencing, he is expected to be handed over to federal immigration authorities for deportation back to the U.S. Additionally, he is required to submit a blood sample for a DNA databank used by Canadian law enforcement.