Man imprisoned for deadly Vancouver hit-and-run sentenced for sex assault

The Law Courts building, which is home to B.C. Supreme Court and the Court of Appeal, is seen in Vancouver, on Thursday, Nov. 23, 2023. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Darryl Dyck

A man already serving time for a deadly Vancouver hit-and-run has been sentenced to an additional three years in prison for an unrelated sexual assault on a 16-year-old girl.

Alexandre Romero-Arata was sentenced in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Thursday, in line with a joint submission from lawyers for Crown and the defence.

Romero-Arata was convicted in 2023 for the 2021 sexual assault on the girl in a Vancouver hotel room.

He was 25 at the time but had told her he was closer to her age.

During the encounter, he offered the victim alcohol despite knowing about her history of substance abuse.

The court heard Romero-Arata slapped the victim’s face and breasts and had sex with her without a condom – with the judge ultimately finding the teen did not consent to.

While Romero-Arata declined the opportunity to address court, his lawyers say he accepts the jury’s finding of guilt, and is remorseful and apologetic.

“I think it’s important to acknowledge that our client’s remorse is something that the judge found to be mitigating in passing sentence,” Romero-Arata’s lawyer Sarah Leamon told CTV News outside court on Thursday.

“I think he’s had time to reflect, and in reviewing the victim impact statements, he has expressed his remorse.”

Romero-Arata currently has two years remaining on a five year sentence for criminal negligence causing death for a hit and run.

• Read more: ‘I screamed in shock and horror’: Family faces deadly Vancouver hit-and-run driver during sentencing

Exactly three years ago, 24-year-old Irish tech worker Eoghan Byrne was killed on West 4th Avenue and Arbutus Street.

Cellphone video that emerged after the fact showed Romero-Arata bragging on camera about speeding as he went on an alcohol-fueled joyride through Kitsilano.

In that case, the court heard he ran multiple red lights and hit speeds of up to 152 km/h.

But his lawyer insists he can turn his life around.

“The court certainly considered his rehabilitative prospects and did consider that to be mitigating, in terms of something that was brought into their decision to pass sentence,” Leamon said.

Romero-Arata will also be required to submit a DNA sample and register as a sex offender.