GEORGETOWN, P.E.I. — A judge sentenced a P.E.I. man to eight months in jail after telling him a “lot of harm’’ was done when he collided with an Amish horse buggy while driving drunk.
Stephen Robert Bradley of Peakes will also be on probation for eight months after serving his sentence.
He is prohibited from operating a motor vehicle for two years and eight months.
He must also pay a $200 victims of crime surcharge.
Bradley pleaded guilty on Nov. 15 to drunk driving causing bodily harm.
The RCMP was dispatched to a collision between a vehicle and a horse and buggy in Peakes on July 2 at about 11:45 p.m.
Police found one man in one ditch and a second man in another.
When the police spoke to Bradley, he told them he had been drinking wine that night.
The court heard the police took Bradley to a hospital at around 1 a.m. where they got a blood sample that showed his blood alcohol level was almost three times the legal limit.
McQuaid said Bradley’s passenger had serious injuries that included a thoracic spine fracture and a small intracranial bleed inside his skull.
The passenger also needed to be in a body brace for several weeks.
The buggy driver wasn’t injured, but the horse had to be put down.
Bradley has a prior criminal record that includes failing the breathalyzer, two counts of sexual assault and one count of assault.
The court heard Thursday Bradley struggles with alcohol abuse and he has recently been attending AA meetings. He also relies heavily on a community health worker.
Chief Provincial Court Judge Nancy Orr said it is “certainly unfortunate’’ that an incident like the serious collision was needed to get Bradley to seek help for his alcohol problem.
RELATED:
