Reckless driver gets parole
The 21-year-old whose reckless driving seriously injured three teenage passengers in a Town of Mount Royal car crash in 2010 has been granted conditional parole.
Laurent Raymond was sentenced to a three-year prison term in June of 2013 and was later denied parole during his first release hearing.
Now he’s been granted conditional parole that will take place over two phases: he’ll be doing community work/studies for three months, followed by another three months of regular conditional parole.
Raymond was 18 when, in the early hours of July 24, 2010, he sped through T.M.R., eventually losing control of his vehicle, crashing it into a tree and critically injuring three 16-year-old girls who were passengers.
The passengers suffered various degrees of injuries, notably head trauma that brought on a coma, paralysis, fractures, and injuries that brought on coordination, memory and concentration problems.
Two years later, on Sept. 5, 2012, nine of the 10 charges Raymond faced were placed under a stay of proceedings and he pleaded guilty to one count of dangerous driving causing bodily harm.
According to a written summary of the decision, Raymond will not be allowed to drive any motorized vehicle during his parole period.
On the night of the accident, Raymond tested below the legal bloodalcohol limit, though blood test revealed he had consumed alcohol that night. He was also driving with a probationary driver’s permit that requires a zero blood-alcohol level for drivers. For those reasons, the decision states, Raymond is forbidden from consuming, buying or possessing alcohol. He will also be prohibited from entering any establishment where the selling or consuming of alcohol is its principal source of revenue.
The board stated that Raymond’s good behaviour during the three years between the accident and the beginning of his prison sentence contributed to him being granted conditional parole.
During those three years, he remained sober and focused on his schooling, finishing all but one class of his college degree.
The board also said that Raymond showed sufficient remorse, and that he has accepted complete responsibility for what happened that night, adding that his perspective on driving has “radically changed.”