A Mississauga, Ont., man charged in relation to a double fatal boat crash on Lake Ontario three years ago has been found not guilty of all charges.
On Tuesday, Superior Court Justice P. Tamara Sugunasiri acquitted Filip Grkovski, 41, on two counts of criminal negligence causing deaths, two counts of criminal negligence causing bodily harm, two counts of impaired operation causing death and two counts of impaired operation causing bodily harm.
Sugunasiri found that there was reasonable doubt as to who was driving the boat at the time of the crash.
It was May 31, 2022, when Grkovski’s motorized pleasure craft struck the rocks off Tommy Thompson Park near the Outer Harbour Marina causing the boat to flip over.
Megan Wu, 24, of Newmarket and Julio Abrantes, 34, of Richmond Hill drowned after their bodies were trapped under the vessel.
Two other passengers who managed to escape from inside the cabin of the boat were also injured.
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During the two-week judge-alone trial in March, a number of passengers who survived the crash testified about the traumatic evening but none could say who was driving at the time of the accident.
A passenger named Edward Denka testified for the Crown that Grkovski was driving the boat when it collided with the rocks before Grkovski testified in his own defence that it was Denka who was driving at the time.
In handing down her reasons on Monday, Sugunasiri explained her verdict.
“While there were problems with Grkovski’s testimony, I believe he was not driving the boat at the time of the accident. Other evidence leaves me in a state of reasonable doubt. I do not believe the Crown’s star witness Eddie Denka,” the judge said.
Sugunasiri also pointed out that two passengers testified they recalled that Denka was driving within two minutes of the accident, and both contradicted Denka’s account.
“Both passengers raised reasonable doubt as to who was driving,” said the judge.
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