A citizen of Les Cèdres pleaded guilty this Tuesday, September 3, to a charge of driving while impaired by alcohol before Judge Marie-Chantal Doucet at the Valleyfield courthouse. Mathieu Leduc received a 75-day prison sentence, to be served intermittently starting Sunday, September 15. 

The events for which he pleaded guilty took place on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, while he was driving at a speed estimated by police at 105 km/hour on a road in the Vaudreuil-Soulanges region. 

At that point, patrolmen passing him in the opposite direction motioned for him to stop, a gesture the accused would not have seen because of the darkness, according to information provided to the court by his lawyer, Alexandre Dubé. He then continued on his way until he was caught by the officers. 

The officers observed symptoms of impairment in Mr. Leduc, who was taken to the station. At the station, he failed the approved screening device test with a blood alcohol level of 0.160 less than two hours after driving.   

A joint suggestion by the prosecutors 

Faced with his statement of facts, Mr. Leduc pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence of alcohol. A conditional stay of proceedings was issued by the Crown on counts 1 and 3. The Crown is represented by Me Olivier Roy. It should be noted that the prosecutors presented Judge Doucet with a joint suggestion regarding the sentence to be served. 

“My client has a similar criminal record dating back to 2017. Subsequently, he has had a few charges related to non-compliance with the Highway Safety Code, such as dangerous driving. In addition, he drove despite a prohibition. He has accumulated four criminal records since 2017, and of these, two are related to driving while impaired by alcohol or drugs. Currently, he is no longer allowed to drive and he will try to obtain his driver's license again in a year or two,” Me Dubé added to the magistrate. 

The lawyer also told the Tribunal that his client, formerly represented by Me Guy Lalonde, has stopped drinking alcohol since the events. “He is an asset to society. He works in the excavation sector. His long season, during which he worked seven days a week, has just come to an end, which will enable him to begin serving his sentence on a discontinuous basis, every Sunday from 9am to 5pm. His sentence will include 18 years' probation and a three-year driving ban. When he gets his license back, his vehicle will have to be equipped with a lifetime breathalyzer. My client understands that the next time he commits a similar offence, he will receive a custodial sentence,” he concluded.