Yellowknife (Aug 22/03) - A 41-year-old grandmother was sentenced to 30 days in jail for drunk driving in territorial court Tuesday .

Cecile Wellin-Rabesca, of Rae-Edzo, pleaded guilty to one count of driving under the influence after a night of drinking at the Gold Range on May 18. It was Wellin-Rabesca's fourth conviction for drunk driving since 1989.

"At some point public protection comes to the fore," said Chief Judge Robert Halifax while handing down the sentence.

"There has to be a recognition that the law means something."

Halifax wanted to suspend Wellin-Rabesca's driver's license for two years, but she didn't have one.

Wellin-Rabesca's lawyer asked for a 60-day non-custodial sentence that would have allowed her to continue working as a special needs assistant at Chief Jimmy Bruneau School in Edzo. But Halifax said Wellin-Rabesca's previous convictions ruled out the possibility of a custodial sentence. In a statement before the court, a teary-eyed Wellin-Rabesca said she was wrong to drink and drive.

"I feel ashamed of myself. What happened that night should not have happened."