'Does he realize what he has done?': Nick Coates's family torn apart by Ronald Thistle's release

Terri-Lee Coates got the news Friday that the man who drove drunk, killing her brother, was granted full parole.

For Coates, it wasfar too soon.

"We were shocked," Coates told CBC News Tuesday."When you get two years less a day you expect them to do at least half of that. But, I mean, nine months? My brother's life was worth so much more than that."

• Ronald Thistle released from jail more than 2 years after Nick Coates's death

Nick Coates, 27, died in hospital after Ronald Thistle pulled his truck onto busy Kenmount Road in St. John's, causing Coates's motorcycle to crash into the pan of the truck.

Thistle had had a drink the morning of the accident in August 2013, and admitted drinking heavily the night before.

He was sentenced to nearly two years in jail in April 2015, but served just nine months.

"Does he realize what he has done? Does he know that he has taken this man from us? My brother, a son, an uncle, a nephew, a grandson. He's toreour family apart completely."

Terri-Lee Coatesknows nothing can bring her older brother back, but said harsher penalties may makeothers thinkbeforedrinking and driving.

"Harsher sentencing would be better to deter some people. It's not going to deter everybody but it will deter a lot of people," she said.

What's worse, Coates said, is that her mother is dying, and Thistle's release adds another burden on a family that's already suffered a great loss.

"[Nick]was the first born. He was the glue that kept our family together. He was an amazing, amazing man, and now my mom is sick, she is dying now," Coates said.

"It's bad enough trying to deal with that and dealing with a death and now Mr. Thistle is out now."

Thistle is on parole conditions not to consume alcohol or contact the Coates family.

He also has to provide his parole supervisor with urinalysis.