Gary Edwin Mattson, guilty of a vicious assault on St. Albert resident and Edmonton Transit bus driver Tom Bregg, has been declared a dangerous offender and will be incarcerated indefinitely.
Judge Harry Bridges released his decision shortly after 1:30 p.m. Monday. Mattson’s hearing has been ongoing for several months as Crown prosecutors sought to have him declared a dangerous offender, citing the extreme violence of his attack on Bregg, as well as his extensive criminal record.
Bridges also ruled that, as a dangerous offender, Mattson will be incarcerated for an indefinite period of time. He will only be released if he demonstrates that he no longer poses a threat to society.
Mattson pleaded guilty last year to assaulting Bregg in December 2009, who he repeatedly punched on board an Edmonton Transit bus in an incident that started with a dispute over the fare. He then pulled Bregg from the bus and repeatedly stomped on him. Bregg suffered severe injuries and has had to undergo multiple surgeries since.
A psychiatrist who examined Mattson testified at the hearing that he was highly likely to reoffend but that he could be rehabilitated with intensive therapy.
More to come …
