A 60-year-old from Abitibi has been sentenced to 24 months in prison for the ninth time he has been caught for drunk driving, this time at almost double the legal limit.
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“The crime of driving with a disability is a serious and dangerous crime, the consequences of which can be significant, and in certain cases fatal,” Judge Marie-Chantal Brassard argued in her recent decision.
Defendant Donres Potvin appeared to have finally learned from his mistakes, but was pulled over in July 2019 after a call from a citizen who saw the accused drinking while driving.
His “last conviction for this type of offense was in 2004,” while the 65-year-old defendant was sentenced to six months in prison for his seventh and eighth drink-driving offenses.
“The defendant went through a major period of rest for more than 15 years during which he remained relatively sober. The commission of the offense takes place in the context of a recidivism after a separation. Obviously the decision to drive after consumption shows a glaring lack of judgement,” the judge said.
Changes to combat this “scourge”
Legislative changes in 2018 increased penalties for impaired driving “to address this scourge and discourage offenders from committing such acts,” said Judge Marie-Chantal Brassard.
The crown then demanded “a prison sentence of three to four years” against the resident of Preissac, we can read in Abitibi.
The defense, for its part, considered a prison sentence of 8 to 10 months to be an appropriate sentence.
“The accused has been sober since the commission of the crime. He suffered a stroke in March 2022 that resulted in vision loss. Mr. can no longer drive, which eliminates any risk of recidivism,” judge Brassard summed up.
driving ban
“Having regard to the principles of denunciation and deterrence,” it sentenced Donres Potvin to two years less per day’s imprisonment.
“Because the defendant says he is willing to follow up with a professional, the court will issue an order under probation [de trois ans]a condition for that purpose,” the judge added.
In addition, the accused will be given a ten-year driving ban after his release from prison.
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