A woman whose life has been devastated by her addiction to hard drugs was released Wednesday and complimented by a federal Crown prosecutor who praised her for trying very hard to turn her troubled life around.
When Greater Sudbury Police raided the residence of Lise Lepine on Jan. 2 of this year, they found a small quantity of crack cocaine, one gram of cocaine, other street drugs and a wide assortment of drug paraphernalia.
Lepine was sent to jail in early May when she breached a court order, and had been in custody for almost four months until Wednesday. When she was brought to the jail, she was in terrible physical shape, suffering the obvious effects of being under the influence of her hard drug addiction.
During a court appearance last week and Wednesday, it was obvious Lepine had made a remarkable recovery while in custody. She looked to have put on a lot of weight and the colour had returned to her face.
During a brief appearance last week, when she pleaded guilty to drug trafficking charges, Lepine read a heartbreaking letter to the court, detailing how addiction had ruined her life. But she also detailed how she wanted to beat her addiction and try and make something out of her life.
Before presenting a submission that Lepine be released Wednesday for time served, federal Crown prosecutor Robert Topp praised her.
Lepine?s addiction to hard street drugs has been longstanding, but it?s obvious she wants to try and beat her addiction and try and lead some semblance of a normal life, said Topp. From his experience in life and as a prosecutor, this particular accused seems more determined than most to change her life
around, said Topp.
He wished Lepine good luck before she was led from the court to freedom for the first time in four months.
