The B.C. Court of Appeal has reserved judgment on the appeal of a Victoria driver sentenced to two years in prison for striking and catastrophically injuring an 11-year-old girl in a Saanich crosswalk four years ago.
Tenessa Rayann Nikirk was convicted in January 2020 of dangerous driving causing bodily harm to Leila Bui. On Dec. 21, 2020, provincial court Judge Mayland McKim sentenced the 24-year-old former nanny to two years in prison, rejecting her lawyer’s plea to suspend the sentence until after Christmas. She appealed eight days later.
The appeal court will likely take several weeks to reach a decision.
Nikirk spent two weeks in custody at the Alouette Correctional Centre for Women. She was released on $5,000 bail on Jan. 5 with conditions that include not driving and having no contact with any member of the Bui family.
Her bail has been extended until the judgment is released.
