SAINT JOHN, N.B. – Two first offenders for driving under the influence of alcohol received brief jail sentences in a New Brunswick court on Tuesday.
Judge William McCarroll handed down the sentences after a public prosecutor noted that impaired driving arrests have gone up in southwestern New Brunswick over the past few months compared to the year before.
Thirty-year-old Robert Badiali, of Canal, N.B., and 53-year-old Lois Ann Walton, of Saint John, were each sentenced to three days in jail, ordered to pay fines of $1,725 and prohibited from driving for one year.
In January, James McAvity, regional director of prosecutions, had told provincial court that his office would be seeking jail for first offenders.
He came to court Thursday armed with statistics to support the penalties being demanded.
He noted that so far this year in Saint John, 52 people have been arrested and charged with impaired driving, which represents a 32 per cent increase compared to the same time period for the year before.
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