Drunk driver smashed into another car
Kyle Christopher Cleghorn, 23, of Fredericton, fined, barred from driving after he admitted Monday he was impaired when he ran red light, collided with another vehicle
A Fredericton man was found to be under the influence of alcohol after he ran a red light in downtown Fredericton last fall and smashed into another vehicle, court heard Monday.
Kyle Christopher Cleghorn, 23, of Royal Road, pleaded guilty in Fredericton provincial court Monday to a charge of impaired driving.
Crown prosecutor Rodney Jordan said police were dispatched to the scene of a motor-vehicle accident shortly after midnight Sept. 16.
It turned out two vehicles had collided in the section, he said, adding no one was injured in the crash.
Witnesses told police that a black car had run the red light and smashed into the second vehicle, the prosecutor said.
The driver of the black car - later identified as Cleghorn - then approached the occupants of the other vehicle, promising to pay for the damage, court heard.
Jordan said the witnesses reported Cleghorn appeared to be intoxicated, and police officers made the same observations of him, noting he was unsteady on his feet, among other indications.
A breathalyzer test performed later at the police station revealed Cleghorn’s blood-alcohol level at the time was 120 milligrams of alcohol per 100 millilitres of blood, The legal limit is 80 mg.
The prosecutor said while Cleghorn’s early guilty plea and lack of a criminal record were mitigating factors in his favour, the collision made the case a more serious one.
He asked the court to impose the minimum fine of $1,500, given the breathalyzer reading, but with a driving ban longer than the usual one-year term due to the crash.
Defence lawyer Emily Cochrane pointed out her client is a youthful offender, which is a further mitigating factor in his case.
She noted he’s enrolled in a course at the New Brunswick Community College campus in Woodstock, so a longer driving prohibition would be an issue for him.
She suggested instead that the fine be elevated to account for the collision instead, with a standard one-year driving ban given Cleghorn’s need to travel for school.
“Frankly, impaired driving is a serious offence,” said Judge Scott Brittain, noting the crash made the situation of even greater concern. “None of the individuals were injured, thankfully.”
He accepted the defence recommendation, imposing a $2,000 fine and a one-year driving prohibition. Because Cleghorn is a student, the judge waived the $600 victim-fine surcharge that would normally be required.
Brittain said Cleghorn may want to examine the circumstances that led him to commit the crime.
“Maybe it was a one-off event, maybe you have a drinking problem,” he said.
The judge told the offender that he was getting a break and that if he appeared in court again on a similar allegation, the consequences would be far more serious.
Don MacPherson can be contacted at ftonindependent@gmail.com.