A photo of a crack-addicted thief holding a seven-inch hunting knife against the throat of a taxi driver was the "most frightening thing I have ever seen" in a 31-year career, said a Prince George provincial court judge Thursday.
Judge Darrell O'Byrne made the comment while sentencing Donald George Witso to four years in jail late last month.
O'Byrne said the image, taken by a camera installed in the cab as Witso robbed two taxi drivers over the span of about six hours on
Oct. 10, 2011 to feed a crack cocaine habit, was of a man "who is absolutely out of control."
The cab driver, Bogdan Latala, handed over some cash and was left uninjured, but the first
robbery victim was not so lucky after grabbing the knife when Witso became increasingly agitated.
Mike Nahal produced $20 to $40 just after midnight on
Oct. 10 - to which Witso said "is that all you've got?" and pulled out the knife, according to O'Byrne's reasons for sentencing issued this week. Nahal grabbed the knife and suffered severe cuts to his hands that will need significant surgery to repair.
Between the two robberies,
Witso made off with about $120.
Prior to the robberies Witso, now 32 years old, would "typically binge on crack, spending several hundred dollars at a time," according to O'Byrne, and was suffering from strong cravings, having run out of money after smoking the drug for two or three days.
O'Byrne also made extensive note of a brain injury Witso suffered in a car accident at age 19 that left him in a coma for four months and forced him to learn how to walk and talk again after the accident.
Witso, who had completed Grade 10, but was expelled from Duchess Park Secondary School for using illegal drugs and fighting, had been living off a $1,200-per-month disability payment while living with his parents.
According to a pre-sentence report, Witso had been involved in the brain-injury group in Prince George but the nature of his injuries are such that he "lacks insight as to the extent or seriousness of his injuries," and has been a difficult impairment to deal with, especially as it related to
employment, wrote O'Byrne.
And in a second report, a psychiatric consultant noted that assessments conducted in 2000 found Witso's progress slows but despite this, Witso "viewed himself as largely recovered and discontinued virtually all treatment. His lack of insight was significant."
Witso wrote apology letters to the two drivers and his remorse appeared to be genuine, the
psychiatric consultant also wrote.
O'Bryne noted Witso entered an early guilty plea so his victims didn't have to relive the crime in court.
In issuing the sentence, O'Bryne took off two-and-a-half months for time served in pre-trial custody, reducing the term to three years, nine-and-a-half months.
O'Byrne also ordered that Witso serve his time at the Regional Treatment Centre in Abbotsford, which is equipped with a psychiatric care unit, a health centre and a rehabilitation unit.
Witso was sentenced Dec. 30 and a written reasons for
judgment was issued this week.
