A local man who pleaded for mercy from the court insisting he?s sober for the first time in years and will stay out of trouble was given the opportunity to prove himself Wednesday.
Robert Coutu, 25, pleaded guilty to break and enter after he and two accomplices were caught inside a home in Webbwood, just north of Espanola, the evening of Sept. 19 last fall.
Assistant Crown attorney Alex Kurke had asked the court to impose a six-month jail sentence against Coutu citing his long criminal record, almost all for property offences.
Defence counsel William Beach said Coutu had already spent more than one month in custody and an appropriate sentence would be one more month in jail.
Before imposing sentence, Justice William Fitzgerald allowed Coutu to address the court.
?I?m a loser when I?m drunk...I can?t believe what a loser I am,? said Coutu.
Every single conviction he?s accumulated over the past decade has been related to his alcohol problem and he?s managed to quit drinking for the first time since he was a teenager while in custody over the past several weeks, he said.
He recently became a father and the joy and happiness his son brings him will be the driving force to keep him away from the bottle and out of trouble, he said.
?My son needs a father ... please give me one more chance.?
After hearing from the accused, the judge said he would give Coutu the opportunity to prove himself and ordered him released from custody while a pre-
sentence report is prepared.
Coutu will return to court Aug. 17 for sentencing.
If he keeps his word and stays off the bottle and doesn?t get into any more trouble, Fitzgerald made it clear Coutu will not have to serve any further jail time in relation to this conviction.
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