Accused in crash that killed mom and 3 daughters denied bail

A 20-year-old man charged in connection with a Brampton crash that left a woman and her three young daughters dead has been denied bail.

Brady Robertson, of Caledon, Ont., had his bail application turned down in the Ontario Court of Justice in Brampton on Friday.

Karolina Ciasullo, 37, and her three daughters — Klara, 6, Lilanna, 3, and Mila, 1 — died after their Volkswagen SUV was struck by a blue Infiniti G35 near Torbram Road and Countryside Drive on the afternoon of June 18.

Robertson is being held on four counts of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle causing death.

Family and Friends were dialled in on a conference call, listening intently as this hearing was held virtually.

When the justice denied bail, there was a loud cheer from those in attendance.

The reasons cited by the justice of the peace for denying bail cannot be reported as they are covered by a publication ban.

Ciasullo's mother, Lilianna Lugiewicz, sobbed openly as she spoke with reporters outside the court after the hearing.

She said she is satisfied with the decision of the court.

"For sure the streets will be more safe from today — more safety for my friends, my daughter's friends and their kids. That's why we're satisfied," she said.

"It helps for sure, it helps. This is a warning for other drivers, not only for Brady. Today's decision tells us we have hope."

Decision is 'precedent setting,' advocate says

Jillian McLeod, with the advocacy group Justice4Families, said the denial of bail is a big decision and she praised the justice of the peace for making "the right one."

"This is a moral victory. This is such a rare occasion where bail gets denied in cases like this that it's precedent setting," McLeod said.

"I've said that this case will be the catalyst for change and it's coming true at this point. We win today."

Robertson is also facing another count of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle from an incident that happened two days earlier, on June 16, while he was allegedly driving the same blue Infiniti.

There is witness video from that incident where people can be seen trying to intervene and the driver speeds away.

The justice in this case has set Robertson's next court appearance for Sept. 18.