5°c Overcast
16°c Isolated showers
Winnipeg Free Press - ONLINE EDITION
Drunk driver gets year in jail
A Winnipeg man has been sentenced to one year in jail for a drunk driving crash which seriously injured two young brothers who had just moved to Canada from Nepal.
Hubert Butt, 32, pleaded guilty to the March 2011 incident which saw him get behind the wheel after a day, and evening, of drinking. Butt was upset upon learning of the death of his grandmother, court was told.
He began swerving all over the road, often at high speeds, and struck a vehicle which was stopped at a red light. Butt then turned the wrong way down a one-way downtown street and ran over the two young men who were crossing. He then proceeded to smash into a light standard.
"The harm this offender caused is remarkable," provincial court Judge Rocky Pollack said Tuesday.
Two police officers in the area of Isabel Street and Bannatyne Avenue witnessed the final stages of the rampage. Both victims, aged 24 and 25, suffered extensive trauma after being hit. They include several broken bones which required nearly a week in hospital and impacted their ability to find work in their new homeland.
"To this day (Butt) doesn’t remember colliding with them and sending them 50 feet through the air," said Pollack.
Butt began fighting with police and paramedics at the scene and had to be repeatedly restrained, court was told. A warrant was obtained for his blood which showed him having nearly triple the legal alcohol limit in his system.
Butt has no prior criminal history. The Crown was seeking an 18-month jail sentence, while his lawyer was seeking a 90-day penalty to be served intermittently on weekends.
More Local
- Back to Top
- Return to Local
More Local
(1 of 21 articles for today)
Rain today, possibly more sun by Sunday
7:17 AM 0OK, so forget what we told you yesterday about when the rain would come and when that bright orange ball ...
Poll
Most Popular Local
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Housing a little more expensive in Manitoba: RBC
- Lake St. Martin reserve close to getting new home
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- 'I told them, "I think that guy downstairs is dead"': teen witness at murder trial
- Drug dealer sentenced to 3½ years in prison
- Decades-old smoke bomb found behind Crescentwood home
- City's first urban reserve born
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Crash claims two young women, RCMP say
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Police identify slaying victims
- Apple trick on Ellen falls short for city woman
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- 2 dead in crash near Portage la Prairie
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- A child-custody catastrophe
- Charleswood deaths being investigated as domestic incident
- Man charged, victims identified in double homicide
- Co-worker 'sick' today? Maybe it's the $17M flu
- Man dies after being pulled from vehicle submerged in Winnipeg retention pond
- '2 minutes after I read the winning numbers, I retired': Winnipeg lotto winner
- Parents, community relieved and elated as missing boy found safe
- No threat from bag found at Winnipeg Square
- Man missing since 2009 found safe
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Drug dealer sentenced to 3½ years in prison
- City chiropractor guilty of beating, sexually assaulting ex-girlfriend
- Housing a little more expensive in Manitoba: RBC
- Jockey club launches $350-M civil suit against province
- New provincial restrictions on buying cigarettes
- Flood money paid for CEO's romantic trip
- Lake St. Martin reserve close to getting new home
- First Nation celebrates groundbreaking on city's first urban reserve
- Crash victims were good friends, free spirits
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Fishing for fashion
- Aboriginal leader Elijah Harper dies
- Famous city grocer loved job, customers
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Core grocer a challenge: expert
- Grocer Joe Cantor dies at 88
- North End proud
- Power restored to Linden Woods after goose collides with lines
- Bethania CEO put on leave during investigation
- Hundreds pitch in to dig out houses damaged, destroyed by Ochre Beach ice floe
- Mental-health patients get own ER
- A child-custody catastrophe
- An uncommon phenomenon
- Steen invests $1M in family entertainment centre
- Developers to unveil plans for bold downtown tower
- Earls on Main going, but new one coming
- Province introduces changes to rules governing landlords, renters
- Crushing blow for amateur sport
- Boost same-sex curricula: union
Ads by Google
You can comment on most stories on winnipegfreepress.com. You can also agree or disagree with other comments. All you need to do is register and/or login and you can join the conversation and give your feedback.
Have Your Say
New to commenting? Check out our Frequently Asked Questions.
The Winnipeg Free Press does not necessarily endorse any of the views posted. By submitting your comment, you agree to our Terms and Conditions. These terms were revised effective April 16, 2010.