London Knights star Cam Allen gets fine, probation for drunk driving

Article content

A star London Knights defenceman has pleaded guilty and been sentenced for impaired driving after a crash in southwest London.

Cam Allen, 20, was supposed to make his first court appearance on Thursday after he was charged Feb. 8 following a single-car crash near Colonel Talbot Road and Clayton Walk in the city’s Lambeth neighbourhood at about 3:20 a.m.

Instead, his case was quietly brought forward by his defence lawyer, Ron Ellis, on Feb. 27, where Allen pleaded guilty to one count of impaired driving before Ontario Court Justice Wendy Harris Bentley.

Allen was sentenced to two years of probation, including an order to complete 100 hours of community service. He is prohibited from driving for two years.

Part of his probation order includes counselling for alcohol issues.

He also was fined $4,000 and must pay a $1,200 victim fine surcharge, for a total of $5,200. He has 12 months to pay.

It was a speedy end to a criminal matter that often takes months to complete in the courts.

The crash happened Feb. 8. Police said they found the car unoccupied and running with blood on the driver’s side door and leading away from the vehicle. An arrest was made at a nearby address.

The crash happened hours after the London Knights played a home game during which the team-sanctioned 50/50 draw was held in support of Mothers Against Drunk Driving (MADD). The chief executive of MADD Canada called the incident “disappointing.”

Allen was originally charged with impaired driving and having more than 80 milligrams of alcohol in 100 millilitres of blood and was released by police on an undertaking.

Allen, the No. 3 overall pick in the 2021 OHL draft, was traded to London from Guelph in December to shore up the defence. The Toronto native is a former under-18 Team Canada captain.

After he was charged, he was suspended indefinitely by the league, a ban that remained in place as of Thursday.

jsims@postmedia.com