Bonnyville resident Clayton Tyler Procinski, 32, will serve four years and 11 months in prison for the impaired driving deaths of four Kehewin residents on July 23, 2009.
Judge L. J. Burgess sentenced the man to seven and a half years after Procinksi plead guilty to four counts of manslaughter in St. Paul Provincial Court on Thursday, but gave two years credit for the accused entering a guilty plea, making the sentence five and a half years.
Burgess also gave two-for-one credits for time served in custody before sentencing, worth seven months. Additionally, the judge issued a 10-year driving prohibition to start after the sentence is served.
Crown prosecutor Jeff Rudiak asked the judge for an eight-year sentence, while defence counsel Stephanie Oleksyn asked for four years. Burgess said he thought the defence had suggested a sentence unduly low given the circumstances and the Crown's request was a shade too high.
In his judgment, Burgess called drinking and driving one of the most significant social problems facing society. One only has to sit in during a docket day in court to see not a lot has changed since 1995, when the Supreme Court of Canada noted drinking and driving was leaving a trail of destruction and death, he said. Efforts to address drinking and driving have not been productive, he added.
While considering sentencing, Burgess said he used the principle of Canadian law that the sentence should be proportionate to the gravity of the offence and the degree of responsibility and moral culpability of the offender. The sentence should serve as a deterrent to the public at large, he said. Another principle of law is the sentence should be similar to other sentences in other similar offences, although circumstances would not be the same, he said.
Mitigating factors included Procinski had no criminal record, showed remorse and entered a guilty plea, something Burgess said he gave significant weight to.
Procinski read a statement to the court, where many members of the Kehewin community and his family attended. Procinski said he took full responsibility for the four deaths of July 23 and said he is truly sorry. He said he would trade places with any of the deceased if it were possible to do so. Procinski said he would work with young people and drug and alcohol agencies to help potentially save others from suffering from similar events.
Several family members of the deceased read victim impact statements to the courtroom. Alexis Gadwa, Sarah Gadwa, Frances (Stella) Gadwa and Ivan Paul died in the collision.
Defence counsel told the judge a gang had threatened to kill Procinski if sent to a federal penitentiary in Alberta and requested serving the time in another province, to which Burgess responded the decision is up to correctional authorities.
