MONTREAL - Laurent Raymond, who seriously injured two passengers in a reckless driving incident three years ago, has been sentenced to three years in prison and five years without a drivers' license after his release.
Prior to sentencing, tears flowed at the Montreal courthouse Friday as Raymond, 21, listened to five people read victim impact statements pertaining to his reckless act of drunk driving.
Laurent Raymond, 21, who plead guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, also spoke and offered an apology to the victims.
Raymond was travelling at about 90 km/h when he slammed his car into a tree, seriously injuring two of the three passengers in his vehicle after 3 a.m. on Graham in the Town of Mount Royal on July 24, 2010.
The two had accepted a lift from Raymond, who they only knew through a friend, after a night out at the Cafe Campus bar on Prince Arthur.
One of the passengers, Claudia Dio Ioro, had no pulse at the scene. She was in a coma for a month and underwent five surgeries and suffered partial paralysis.
Another victim, Justine Rozon, will be on a feeding tube for the rest of her life.
She has since tried to send the message never to enter a vehicle with a drunk person at the wheel.
Both of the seriously injured victims read statements, as did other family members.
Raymond was seen sobbing throughout, as the victims urged him to become a better person.
Raymond had initially been expected to be sentenced in early April but sentencing was delayed to allow him to finish CEGEP.
