Justice Vicki Ann Ellis sentenced Hilroy Frank on Tuesday at the High Court to pay an $8,000 fine or serve six months in prison after he pleaded guilty to causing death by dangerous driving.
Mr. Frank, who is represented by defence attorney Patrick Thompson, was found culpable of the car accident that killed Patricia Lettsome on Little Dix Hill in East End on May 18, 2013.
The prosecution and defence agreed that the defendant was not speeding, but his blood alcohol level was above the legal limit and he allegedly became distracted while driving.
Before being sentenced, Mr. Frank was offered the opportunity to address the court, but he declined.
According to Mr. Thompson, Mr. Frank, a Dominica native, works in construction and has lived in the territory for 10 years. He is married and has no previous convictions, the attorney said. He was 39 at the time of the offence.
Ms. Ellis told the defendant there should never come a day when he fails to remember the victim and her family.
Adding that Ms. Lettsome was a mother, the justice explained to Mr. Frank that he had taken away someone’s parent.
“That loss can never be replaced,” she said.