(Quebec) A driver who had killed four members of the same family last September, in Quebec, was sentenced Friday to one of the harshest sentences ever pronounced in this province for driving while impaired.
Posted yesterday at 5:22 p.m.
Judge Jean-Louis Lemay of the Court of Quebec sentenced Éric Légaré to 16 years in prison.
James Fletcher, 68, his daughter Shellie Fletcher-Lemieux, 44, and his two children, Emma Lemieux, 10, and Jackson Fortin, 14, all died in the accident on September 2, 2021, in the borough of Beauport. Two people in another vehicle were also injured.
The Crown had suggested to the judge a sentence of 18 to 20 years in prison for Légaré, while his lawyer had recommended a sentence of 10 years. Légaré, 44, pleaded guilty in December to several charges, including impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death.
Judge Lemay noted that Légaré was traveling at least 130 km/h in a 70 km/h zone. His blood alcohol level was nearly three times the legal limit, and the accused also had a large amount of THC, the main psychoactive component of cannabis, in his system.
Légaré admitted that he had spent the afternoon in a bar drinking seven glasses of wine and three “shooters” before driving that day.
Judge Lemay pointed out that on surveillance video, Légaré could be seen having great difficulty getting into his car and then hitting parked vehicles. On another video, taken from a municipal bus, the accused was seen burning a stop sign and driving erratically.
The judge affirmed that an accident is a sudden and unexpected event. Therefore, he declared that to make the decision to drive after drinking, if this act leads to death or injury, even if it was not premeditated, is a crime and not an accident.
Légaré had already been convicted in 2017 of impaired driving; between 2007 and 2020, he received eight speeding tickets.
The accused repeatedly expressed remorse for the September 2021 fatal accident, noting that his drinking had increased during the pandemic.
Taking into account the preventive detention, Légaré will still have to serve 15 years and 15 days in prison. He is also prohibited from driving a vehicle for 25 years.