A Toronto woman involved in a fatal accident in Rexdale in 2023, driving under the influence and without a license, has received a four-year prison term and a post-release driving ban. Tara MacMunn, aged 41, was convicted of impaired driving leading to death in an Ontario court on Friday after pleading guilty in June.
Before being taken into custody, MacMunn bid tearful farewells to her family at the courtroom. Despite the defense’s request for a three-year sentence, Ontario Superior Court Justice Katherine Corrick decided on a four-year term and an eight-year driving prohibition following MacMunn’s release, emphasizing the gravity of imposing substantial prison sentences for impaired driving resulting in fatalities.
During the collision on April 18, 2023, MacMunn was driving at 110 kilometers per hour in a zone with a 50-kilometer-per-hour speed limit near Albion Road and Finch Avenue W. It was revealed in court that her blood alcohol level was more than 2.5 times the legal limit, a level deemed “extremely high” by the judge.
Hazela Baksh, 64 years old at the time of her death, was killed in the crash while returning home from Ramadan prayers. Two other women suffered severe injuries and were hospitalized. Justice Corrick acknowledged that no sentence could compensate for the loss suffered by Baksh’s family due to the tragic incident.
MacMunn, a mother of three daughters with no prior criminal record, was described in character references as a respected figure in her community. The court heard that on the night of the accident, she borrowed a friend’s car in a panic after receiving threatening messages from an ex-boyfriend claiming to be armed and heading to her residence where her daughters were located. This hasty decision led to the fatal collision.
Expressing deep remorse and taking accountability for her actions, MacMunn was portrayed by the judge as genuinely regretful. Victim impact statements characterized Baksh as a pillar of strength for her family and religious community. Baksh’s burial on Eid al-Fitr, a significant Islamic holiday, will forever carry a somber tone for her loved ones, according to Justice Corrick, who acknowledged the profound grief expressed by Baksh’s family.