Austin Deir offers apology for deaths of Haley Keating, Erin Pretty

As Austin Deir rose from the prisoner's box on Tuesday afternoon to address the court in Clarenville at the conclusion of his sentencing hearing, the parents of Haley Keating sprung to their feet and left the room, unwilling to listen to anything Deir had to say.

Fearing there might be more disruptions, Judge Andrew Brown issued some words of caution to the tense crowd, and said Deir "has the right to address the court and I must consider what he has to say."

With that, Deir, who has pleaded guilty to two charges of dangerous driving causing death, started reading from a prepared statement.

"I understand there's nothing I can say will diminish the pain and loss my actions have caused these families. However, I am truly sorry," Deir said.

Ever since the crash nearly two years ago that resulted in the deaths of Haley Keating and Erin Pretty, Deir said "my waking hours have been consumed with regret and remorse that will remain with me forever."

Deir said he wishes it was him who died on the highway that day.

"I've lived 73 years, and they lived [22] years," he said.

It was a notable moment in a heart-wrenching and anger-inducing tragedy that began on a sunny Sunday afternoon on Jan. 21, 2024 on a bending stretch of the Trans-Canada Highway near Arnold's Cove, and has been slowly making its way through the justice system ever since.

After enduring backlash outside the courthouse on several occasions, and a sustained social media onslaught described by Deir's lawyer, Rosellen Sullivan, as a "modern-day lynch mob," it was the first time Deir had his say.

“I know they had said I don’t feel remorse, but nothing could be further from the truth,” he said.

Sullivan said Deir would have apologized earlier, but said he never had a chance because of the anger and harsh comments sent his way each time he arrived at the courthouse.

Because of the tension, RCMP officers and extra sheriff's officers were deployed at the court this week, and those seeking justice for Keating and Pretty were asked to stay on the opposite side of the road from the courthouse. Still, angry comments persisted as Deir arrived each time at the building on Marine Drive.

"When a person is trying to make amends and is met with such palpable hatred, the only thing you can do is put your head down, put one foot in front of the other, and get in this building. I can tell you it is genuine," Sullivan said of Deir's apology and remorse.

But Keating's mother, Kelly Tulk, disagreed.