'Vile and repulsive': Misogynistic Vernon senior jailed for road rage
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It took two court sheriffs and an RCMP officer to handcuff a "vile and repulsive" senior who refused to cooperate after being sentenced today, Feb. 10, at the Vernon courthouse.
Allan Edward Lockhart swore at the Sheriffs as they pinned him to the wall of the courtroom in an effort to cuff him.
The 69-year-old's behaviour isn't surprising, judging by his behaviour while in court, or his behaviour against the female driver during a road rage incident that landed him in court in the first place.
BC Provincial Court Judge David Patterson previously called Lockhart a "vulgar, unhappy, misogynist" who displayed hatred of and contempt for women.
He used much of the same expletive-laced language during his four-day trial – regularly calling the victim the C-word – as he had when he came to blows with her in the summer of 2022.
The female driver had been heading towards Vernon past Historic O'Keefe Ranch one morning in August 2022 when she noticed Lockhart's Chevrolet Cobalt approaching her at a fast rate of speed.
The woman was in the outside lane and began pulling into the right-hand lane when Lockhart side-swiped her while trying to overtake her vehicle. He'd also briefly veered into the opposite lane causing another vehicle to swerve.
The woman managed to keep driving before both vehicles pulled over.
She saw Lockhart getting out of his vehicle and assumed they would exchange licence and insurance details.
Instead, Lockhart walked towards her vehicle carrying a hammer.
She rolled her window down and repetitively asked him why he had a hammer in his hand.
He loudly yelled several obscene and misogynist words at the victim before saying, "I'm going to fucking kill you."
He repeated the statement numerous times and lifted the hammer up.
He eventually drove off without sharing his licence or saying who he was. Luckily, the victim snapped a photo of his vehicle.
Lockhart was pulled over a month or so later and arrested. He didn't take it too kindly and was charged with willfully resisting arrest. He was later found guilty and ordered to pay $1,300.
For the road rage incident, he was charged with assault with a weapon, uttering threats, failing to stop and dangerous driving.
Judge Patterson said while the road rage incident only lasted a few minutes the entire experience had traumatized the victim, as it would anyone.
Lockhart's belligerent attitude continued throughout the four-day trial and he was threatened with contempt of court for continuously referring to the victim using the C-word. He called the Crown prosecutor a "dip-shit" and the police "murdering pedophiles."
Judge Patterson called him a "foul-mouthed misogynistic" and found him guilty of uttering threats and failing to stop.
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The Crown asked for 30 to 90 days jail, while the defence wanted a suspended sentence or house arrest.
Little was heard about the 69-year-old's life, other than he was single, a retired electrician and rented a room in a house in Armstrong. He suffered from major depressive disorder, ADHD and obstructive sleep apnea. He was struggling with a very low mood and suicidal ideation.
He'd been sober from alcohol for 30 years and illicit drugs for a decade.
There was no explanation given to the court as to why a 69-year-old with no criminal record would suddenly behave like this.
An altercation with the court Sheriffs last fall during the trial has led to a separate charge of obstructing a peace officer. That case is moving through the court system.
While first-time offenders often receive sentences of house arrest, Judge Patterson highlighted Lockhart's lack of remorse and that a sentence had to denounce his behaviour and be a deterrence to others.
If Lockhart cared about his fate, he didn't show it in the courtroom.
He removed a headset, which allowed the hard-of-hearing senior to hear the proceedings and stood looking out of the window with his back to the judge.
While the defence argued Lockhart's mental health was frail, and a psychiatric report said jail would not be good for him, the judge disagreed.
"I am unable to determine how, if at all, Mr. Lockhart's mental health issues reduced his moral culpability," Judge Patterson said. "The defense has not convinced me... that Mr. Lockhart's ongoing mental health issues, directly or indirectly, caused or contributed to the commission of the offences."
The Judge said that regardless of his age and lack of criminal record, his misogynistic behaviour was "vile, repulsive, unacceptable and awful" and must be condemned.
With that, he sentenced the senior to 90 days in jail.
Lockhart then said, "What did I get. Six months?" to his lawyer moments before the scuffle started with the sheriffs.
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