(BEN BULMER / iNFOnews.ca)

It was cold and there was snow on the ground last December when 90-year-old Salmon Arm resident, Doug Fredrickson, agreed to give Rodney Boyd Gerow a lift.

The pair had never met and Gerow approached Fredrickson as he was leaving a Salmon Arm Tim Hortons and asked for a lift.

Fredrickson even bought Gerow a coffee as they headed east on the Trans-Canada Highway.

Twenty or so minutes later, Fredrickson pulled into a gas station in Sicamous and told Gerow that's as far as he would take him.

Gerow, who was 57 years old at the time, then punched the Fredrickson, before biting his thumb, and pushing him out of the vehicle.

He then took off in Fredrickson's car.

A Salmon Arm courtroom heard Monday, Aug. 26, how Fredrickson spent 10 days in hospital following the attack with internal bleeding.

BC Provincial Court Judge George Leven said the attack has had a profound effect on the victim and his wife.

Fredrickson's sight was damaged in the attack and had his driver's licence suspended as a result.

He had been a fit and energetic 90-year-old, but his mobility was limited after the assault and he now has to walk with a cane and a walker.

He used to enjoy dancing and was an active person, but he can't anymore.

His wife hasn't slept soundly since the attack.

"She has a hard time understanding how somebody could treat anybody like this, as a person in particular, whom they were helping," Judge Leven said.

Following the attack, Gerow abandoned the vehicle in Malakwa and somehow made his way to Calgary where he was arrested the following month. He's been in custody ever since.

Gerow has a lengthy criminal record containing 21 convictions dating back to 1988.

He did 90 days in jail for an assault in 2007 and was convicted of break and enter, and multiple mischief charges.

Now 58, he was homeless at the time of the attack and heading to Calgary to see his son who had recently overdosed. His son had since died, court heard.

Gerow himself has a lengthy history of alcohol and drug abuse and had a "difficult upbringing," experiencing childhood trauma and physical and sexual abuse. He has since been diagnosed with schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

He appeared by video from custody and gave a rambling apology to Fredrickson and his wife who were seated in the courthouse.

"Sorry, I regret what I did," Gerow said. "I'm an aggressor, he's a victim, and I've been a victim all my life, so I know how it feels... I'm sorry to hurt you. I know I can't do anything to make it better other than just saying prayers.... And I have to say thank you again one last time for the ride."

Judge Leven described the events as "appalling."

"There was a person who was an elderly, frail person, who was a good Samaritan, who was good enough to give Mr. Gerow a ride, and even buy him coffee, and it ends up in a situation where that person suffers a life-altering experience," the judge said.

Crown prosecutors asked for two years in jail for this, and two separate incidents that took place in the Lower Mainland early in 2023.

In one incident, Gerow threw a rock through the window of a homeless shelter. Several months later he threw more rocks, this time at the Royal Columbian Hospital in New Westminster, breaking about 10 windows.

With time already spent behind bars, Gerow was sentenced to one year and two months in jail.

However, as Judge Leven was reading out the terms of his two-year probation period, Gerow repetitively interrupted and said he didn't understand. After a short break, the Judge said he would postpone the sentencing until Gerow could appear in person in the courtroom and he could make sure he knew what was going on.

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