Woman's efforts impress judge
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Posted By BOB VAILLANCOURT THE SUDBURY STAR
Updated 1 month ago
Heather Ainsworth's attempts to overcome her addiction to alcohol so impressed a Sudbury judge Friday, he denied a Crown request to jail her for a string of criminal offences.
"We know that had you been sober, none of this would have occurred," Ontario Court Justice Randall Lalande told Ainsworth, 56, before placing her on probation for two years.
In March, Ainsworth pleaded guilty to 10 charges, including six breaches of court orders over a five-month period last year.
She also pleaded guilty to assaulting an eight-year-old boy, spitting at an LCBO staffer and theft from the same LCBO store.
At the time of that hearing, her lawyer, John Saftic, asked that the judge not jail Ainsworth any further, saying she had already spent 52 days in jail and had turned the corner on combatting her addiction.
But before he would go along with such a request, Justice Lalande said he needed more evidence Ainsworth was trying to overcome her addiction.
The judge put the sentencing hearing over to April, telling Ainsworth to come back with tangible evidence that she was in a rehab program.
However in April, the best Ainsworth and her lawyer could tell Lalande was that she was on a waiting list for an in-treatment program.
The sentencing hearing was then delayed until May. But in May, Ainsworth couldn't attend because she was actually in the treatment program at the time.
That led to Ainsworth being in a Sudbury courtroom Friday, where she produced certificates of completion for two residential treatment programs and plans to continue down that path.
The sincerity of her efforts has attracted community support for Ainsworth, said Saftic, and with that support, "she is doing very well."
Assistant Crown attorney Roberta Bald said she recognized Ainsworth's achievements, but there was still the issue of community protection. Jail time for the assault of a young boy and the court breaches would demonstrate these offences are not tolerated, she said.
However, Justice Lalande said this was one of those cases where rehabilitation took prominence.
Ainsworth "did pay some price" for her crimes, said the judge, in reference to the 52 days in custody.
As well, since her release on the charges in December she has been virtually under house arrest.
"You have been doing your best since December to help yourself. In large part I believe you have succeeded," Lalande told her.
bvaillancourt@thesudburystar.com
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