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It’s an absurd “slap on the wrist” that sends a bad message.

That is what the parents of Bradley Dean are saying about the charge filed against the man who allegedly killed their 33-year-old son and seriously injured two others in a 2016 Richmond crash.

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It was just a few days shy of the one-year anniversary of Brad’s death that Tom and Lianne Dean learned Michael Wing Sing Fan would face a charge under the Motor Vehicle Act rather than criminal charges after allegedly plowing into a group of cyclists on River Road on a dry Sunday morning.

The young Burnaby driver, who was born in 1997 according to court records, has been charged with driving a motor vehicle without due care and attention. It is a charge that carries a maximum penalty of $2,000 and six months in prison, according to the province.

“It’s absurd,” said Lianne of the charge in an interview Monday.

“In a case like this where there was a death, not to mention the other injuries, the fact that he’s being charged under the Motor Vehicle Act as opposed to criminally charged is really disturbing. Basically, he’s getting a traffic violation for killing someone … My concern is about the leniency and about the message it sends all British Columbians.”