They’re a family divided and next month a judge needs to make a tough decision that could impact one man’s life forever. John Anstie, the 27 year old man who was found guilty in the impaired driving related deaths of Doug and Joan Foster, has a troubled past, one his lawyer says led directly to the events that claimed the lives of the Renfrew couple. According to testimony reported in the Eganville Leader, Anstie was sexually assaulted at the age of 15. That trauma led to a life complicated by addiction. The defense says Anstie had been attempting to get sober. However he had relapsed when his vehicle veered into oncoming traffic and hit the Foster’s vehicle head on the March Road overpass at Highway 417 on December 4, 2016. The judge presiding over the case heard victim impact statements. The Leader reports Foster’s son Skylar wrote that he forgave Anstie, because that’s what his parents would want him to do. He also asked the judge to consider a lighter sentence, saying he wished no harm to the young man who took his parent’s lives. That’s in contrast to the cry for justice demanded by Jean’s brother Ron Robertson, who asked for the judge to grant closure for a grieving family. The prosecution wants up to eight years in a federal penitentiary, while the defense is asking for a two year sentence with early parole, citing the hardships of prison will only deepen Anstie’s addiction struggles. Anstie’s fate is expected to be handed down in the coming weeks.
