Convicted drunk driver Carol Berner was sentenced to two-and-a-half years for the 2008 death of four-year-old Alexa Middelear -- who was struck down while she fed a horse along the side of a road in British Columbia
The death shocked the province and led to the government passing some of the toughest drunk driving laws in the country.
B.C. Provincial Court Judge Peder Gulbransen told Berner that impaired driving causing death is one of the most serious offences in the Criminal Code as he handed down her sentence.
Berner was also banned from driving for five years.
During sentencing hearings earlier this week, Berner asked for the family's forgiveness, promised to never drive again and begged not to be sent to jail.
Berner's lawyer said he would be appealing and the sentence was too harsh for someone with no prior history.
The Crown had asked for three to five years.
Outside of court, Middelear's family said they were hoping for a much harsher sentence -- 10 years. They said Ottawa needs to amend the Criminal Code to make drunk driving a much more serious offence.
On May 17, 2008, Berner ran into a parked car, which ran over Alexa and her aunt as they fed a horse on the side of the road.
Berner was doing 91 kilometres an hour in a 50-km/h zone on a rural road with speed bumps. She lost control after she hit one of the speed bumps.
During the trial, the court heard Berner tell an undercover police officer she had three glasses of wine prior to the accident.
