Victim shocked by sentence
VANCOUVER – A “strong young man” who sucker punched a 55-year-old bus driver in Burnaby, B.C., last year won’t be jailed.
This week a Vancouver provincial court judge sentenced Del Louie, 22, to an 18-month conditional sentence followed by two years’ probation, noting Louie’s troubled childhood and aboriginal background.
The sentence elicited snorts and scoffs from some Coast Mountain Bus employees, who packed the gallery in support of victim Charles Dixon.
Outside the courthouse, the 25-year veteran driver said he was disappointed and in “utter shock” over the sentence.
“What kind of message does this send?” he asked, his face bandaged and bruised from a fourth surgery. “There is no bus driver or transit operator in this city who is safe.”
On Feb. 15, 2011, Louie, along with two friends, boarded a bus through the back door. When Dixon told him to get off and line up at the front door like the other passengers, Louie punched Dixon on the right cheek, breaking the bone.
He also swung a four-foot stick at Dixon’s son, Aaron, when he tried to follow Louie to apprehend him.
Dixon required surgery that placed a plate and screws on his face.
Other injuries included a concussion, nerve damage, cognitive problems and psychological scars.
Louie had pleaded guilty and apologized for his actions.
The Crown had asked for a nine- to 12-month jail term, while the defence requested a sentence served in the community.
Justice Karen Walker imposed the maximum conditional sentence term on Louie: 200 hours of community service and several conditions, including living in a Surrey, B.C., recover y home and abstaining from drugs and alcohol.
Dixon, who has been unable to work for 14 months, said race shouldn’t be used as an excuse for lenient sentences.