The widow of the late Toronto mayor Rob Ford is fighting to stay out of jail at a sentencing hearing Wednesday for an impaired driving conviction.The Crown asked the judge to send Renata Ford to jail for 45 days after she pleaded guilty in October to a 2016 charge. She has two previous convictions — in 1997 when she refused to provide a breath sample and in 2005 for impaired driving.But Ford’s defence lawyer argued that that she should avoid jail time because she was remorseful and didn’t cause extensive damage.“I’m truly sorry for my actions,” Ford, 47, told the Ontario Court Justice Ted Kelly, who will sentence her at 12:30 p.m. Wednesday.Ford’s car “rubbed up against” another vehicle at the entrance of the Humbertown Plaza on the Kingsway near Royal York Rd., on Dec. 28, 2016, according to an agreed statement of facts filed in court.Ford pulled over to a parking spot, and people came by to help her out of her car and she sat her down on the curb. Ford told witnesses that she needed a cigarette and asked them not to call the cops before walking over to the LCBO parking lot.The LCBO manager refused to sell her a bottle of wine, according to the statement, and Ford returned to the passenger seat in her car. Police came by and she failed a breathalyzer test.Even though no one was injured in this case, “there needs to be denunciation,” reflected by a custodial sentence, Crown attorney Brady Donohue told the court.Crown attorney Brady Donohue asked the judge for a 45-day jail sentence and a driving prohibition of one-to-three years. Deterrence and condemnation are primary factors in impaired driving cases, Donohue told the judge, explaining the reasoning for the request.The fact that Ford has previous convictions is significant, Donohue said.“Light sentences have not worked,” Donohue said.As a mitigating factor, Donohue noted that Ford has put a locking device in her car “by her own ...
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