Court hears how man's life ruined by drugs
BY KEITH LACEY - Date Published | Mar. 22, 2007
A man whose life has been destroyed by drugs will spend another year in jail after pleading guilty to trying to deal firstly cocaine and then ecstasy one week apart last summer.
Guy Seguin, 41, pleaded guilty to trafficking drugs and driving while suspended for the sixth time Thursday at the Sudbury courthouse.
Seguin, who is HIV-positive and has also contracted Hepatitis C because of his long-term intravenous drug addiction, was given a one-year jail sentence on top of seven months he's spent in pre-trial custody.
Justice William Fitzgerald told the court he strongly considered granting Seguin his wish to be granted a conditional sentence of house arrest and then placement in a long-term residential drug treatment program.
However, he was not satisfied Seguin doesn't pose a threat to the community, which is a prerequisite for a conditional sentence to be granted, and imposed further incarceration.
Fitzgerald told Seguin he's shown in the past he can stay away from drugs and he should continue to access professional help and support from his family and beat his serious addiction problems once and for all.
Court heard Seguin has gone straight several times in the past and during one stretch came a few courses away from obtaining a university engineering degree.
Fitzgerald did recommend Seguin be able to serve his sentence in a provincial institute which provides intensive drug counselling for inmates serving long sentences.
It's up to Seguin to apply for and find a spot in one of these facilities, he said.
During an impassioned, 10-minute statement, Seguin told the court how much drugs have affected his life in a negative way for most of his adult life and especially over the past few years.
He knows his addiction is a serious one and that's why he applied for a spot in a residential program, said Seguin.
Since his arrest last August, he lost his father, leaving his elderly mother all alone to care for herself, he said.
Seguin told the court he's deeply remorseful for his actions and said all of his criminal problems are directly related to his drug addiction.
His daughter also has brain cancer and while she's lived 16 years without serious problems, there was a relapse a few months ago and he would like the opportunity to assist her, he said.
Assistant Crown attorney Andrew Slater had asked the court to impose a further 17 months in custody, noting Seguin has a long record of previous drug convictions and now has been caught driving while disqualified half a dozen times.
There's no doubt Seguin can be a contributing member of society when he's off drugs, but there have been too many relapses and serious crimes committed for the court to grant a conditional sentence, he said.
Following his sentence, Seguin will be on probation for 15 months, where he's to continue
counseling and abstain from all illicit drug use.
He's also prohibited from driving for five years and prohibited from owning or possessing weapons for the rest of his life.
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