N.L. man who drank 12 beer, rum before fatal accident gets seven-year sentence

ST. JOHN’S, N.L. – A Newfoundland man who drank a dozen beer and started in on a flask of rum the day his van struck an 83-year-old woman’s car in a fatal collision has been sentenced to seven years in prison.

George Whalen was charged with impaired driving causing death after his van collided with Jane Newhook’s car last July in Thornlea.

Court heard that Whalen had six prior convictions for drunk driving dating back to 1994, prompting provincial Supreme Court Justice Don Burrage to say he was playing roulette with the lives of others.

An agreed statement of facts presented in court in St. John’s in April said Whalen drank 12 beer and had started to consume rum the day he hit Newhook’s vehicle.

Newhook’s daughter says she was hoping for a tougher penalty to send a message about drinking and driving.

Whalen appeared in court via video link from jail in Stephenville in western Newfoundland.

(VOCM)