The dangerous offender hearing for a man who viciously beat a St. Albert resident and Edmonton Transit driver resumed this week.
Gary Edwin Mattson pleaded guilty last May to aggravated assault, in a vicious beating on Tom Bregg, 58, a long time Edmonton bus driver.
Mattson boarded Bregg’s bus on Dec. 3, 2009. He failed to pay the fare and argued with Bregg about it for a few minutes.
When Mattson was ordered off the bus he exploded into a rage and viciously attacked Bregg, punching him repeatedly before dragging him out of his chair and repeatedly stomping on Bregg’s face.
After the beating Bregg was left with serious injuries, mostly to his face and head. Doctors who treated him testified last May, saying he will likely not regain the sight in his eye and will have to endure further surgery and other treatments to heal the damage from his injuries.
The first set of hearings in May established that were reasonable grounds to hold Mattson for psychological and psychiatric screenings.
When the hearing resumed in December the court heard evidence about Mattson’s former dealings including an encounter with RCMP officers in Cold Lake.
The court also heard from Edmonton police officers that dealt with a drunk and stubborn Mattson in 2009, as well as witnesses who testified about assault and altercations while Mattson was at the Edmonton Remand Centre.
At the time Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes argued making Mattson a dangerous offender was the only way to ensure the public would be protected from a violent and unpredictable man.
Mattson’s lawyer Naeem Rafu has argued the justice system has not come close to exhausting options for dealing with Mattson. He has noted the longest sentence Mattson has ever received was 80 days.
On Monday Judge Harry Bridges heard further evidence about Mattson’s prior criminal record. The evidence the court heard on Tuesday is covered by a publication ban.
If Bridges determines Mattson is a dangerous offender, he will be incarcerated indefinitely.
The hearing is set to continue the rest of this week and into next week. Some time has also been reserved in March for the completion of the hearing.
