A distraught Joseph Robert Fowlie told about 50 people who packed a courtroom for a pre-sentence hearing that he regrets what he did on the night of March 21 but also braced himself for time behind bars.
"I wish I could take it back," Fowlie said when given a chance to comment. "But I also know that before that (night) I had 34 good years."
Fowlie has pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting a 62-year-old woman after colliding with her van on Highway 16 in the West Beaverly area and abducting her.
The court heard that the woman, who cannot be named because of a ban on publication, cut Fowlie off on Tyner and that he followed her along Highway 16 before they struck twice, forcing her van into a ditch.
Fowlie has admitted to then pulling her out of the vehicle and into his, drove a further 25 kilometres to a remote location, sexually assaulted her, then drove her back to the vehicle before going home and then turning himself into police the next day.
Crown counsel Cassandra Mayfair proposed a range of eight to 12 years and defence lawyer Bruce Kaun argued for 6-7 years when they made submissions to provincial court judge Ron Tindale.
