Convicted drug dealer faces sentencing in fatal fentanyl overdose of Wasaga Beach man

A sentencing hearing for an Orillia man convicted of manslaughter for selling a deadly dose of fentanyl that killed a 31-year-old Wasaga Beach man in 2020 got underway on Friday.

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Convicted drug dealer George Brazier sat in a Barrie courtroom as the family of 31-year-old James Glover, who died in March 2020, gave their victim impact statements.

"Not only did I lose my son, he was also my best friend," said Glover's mother.

"He was the sweetest, gentle giant of a man," Glover's father said of his son, calling him special and "refreshingly honest and loving."

Brazier was found guilty of manslaughter in June.

The court heard Glover had just been released from a six-week residential drug addiction program at the Waypoint Centre for Mental Health 12 hours before he overdosed on the fentanyl he purchased from Brazier.

James Glover is pictured in this undated photo. (Court exhibit)

Following the family's statements, Crown Attorney Indy Kandola addressed the court, calling Brazier a coward for failing to show any insight, accountability, or remorse for his actions, saying he blames Glover for his overdose.

"He sells death. He knows exactly what he is selling. He knows it kills because everyone knows it kills," the Crown said. "He sold death for money."

The Crown told the court Brazier knew Glover was vulnerable and desperate.

"There is a market here for desperate, vulnerable people, and it has to stop," Kandola said.

Glover was found dead in the bedroom of his parent's home the next day.

The toxicology report found he had 10 nanograms of fentanyl in his blood - the dosage was more than three times the lethal amount.

A woman who was with Glover in the treatment program testified in the preliminary hearing that she witnessed Brazier supply the drugs that day, and she saw Glover take the fentanyl that killed him.

The defence argued Glover wanted the drugs, sought them out, and insisted on getting them from Brazier.

The defence tried to discredit the person who witnessed Glover take the drugs and overdose, saying he was left while his lips were blue.

The Crown is asking for Brazier to be sentenced to 12 years behind bars, while the defence wants him to serve between four and six years.

Sentencing is scheduled for November 10.