'Vulgar misogynist:' North Okanagan senior guilty in road rage incident
A foul-mouthed North Okanagan senior described as "vulgar" and "blatantly misogynist" has been found guilty following a road rage incident where he brandished a hammer.
BC Provincial Court Judge David Patterson said Allan Edward Lockhart made a "bad impression" on the court when he used much of the same vulgar misogynist language in the courtroom as he did against the female victim during the road rage incident.
"Mr. Lockhart... came across as a vulgar, unhappy, misogynist. He struggled with avoiding profanity while relating his version of the... events. Whether real or pretend, Mr. Lockhart displayed hatred of and contempt for women, the police, and (the victim's partner)," Judge Patterson said.
During the trial, Lockhart, 69, referred to the victim on multiple occasions using the C-word.
The road rage incident dates back to August 2022 when the female victim was driving one morning alone past the O'Keefe Ranch, north of Vernon.
She noticed a Chevrolet Cobalt approaching fast in her rearview mirror and slowed down so she could change into the inside lane of the four-lane section of the highway. As she pulled in, Lockhart began passing her and his vehicle swerved briefly into the oncoming lane before clipping her vehicle.
Neither driver lost control of their vehicle and shortly afterwards they both pulled over.
While the victim was expecting to exchange licence and insurance details, Lockhart got out of his car with a hammer and walked toward the woman's vehicle.
He then unleashed a barrage of profanity and abuse.
The woman remained in her vehicle and showed Lockhart her licence. She asked him why he had a hammer and to put it down.
He walked back to his vehicle, put the hammer on the trunk, and began looking for something in the car.
The woman quickly got out of her car and took a couple of photos of Lockhart and his car before getting back in and locking the doors.
Minutes later he drove off without passing on his details. The woman drove straight to the RCMP detachment.
However, although the woman had the licence plate of Lockhart's vehicle, police couldn't find the address registered with ICBC.
Lockhart was pulled over by police a month later and arrested. He didn't cooperate and was later found guilty of resisting arrest and fined $1,000.
For the road rage incident, he was charged with assault with a weapon, uttering threats, failing to stop, and dangerous driving.
He pleaded not guilty and went to trial where his attitude didn't change.
He referred to the police as "murdering pedophiles," the victim's friend as a "pimp" and called the Crown prosecutor a "dipshit." He referred to the victim using the C-word and was threatened with contempt of court and jail time.
"Nonetheless, being foul-mouthed, offensive, and blatantly misogynistic does not mean Mr. Lockhart is guilty of one or more of the counts," the Judge said.
Judge Patterson dismissed the dangerous driving and assault with a weapon charge but found Lockhart guilty on the two other charges.
The court heard that the 69-year-old had been sober for 30 years, was a retired electrician, and was single and rented a room in a house. He has some mental health issues and no criminal record.
Crown prosecutor Matt Blow asked for 60 to 90 days jail, while the defence suggested house arrest with electronic monitoring.
Lockhart will be sentenced at a later date.
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