High, mentally ill man got on a Vernon bus and started choking the driver with tape: court

There was no reason given as to why 27-year-old Justin Aspeslet thought a Vernon bus driver was the leader of a sex trafficking ring.

But with that belief in his head, Aspeslet stepped onto a shuttle bus taking skiers from Vernon to SilverStar Mountain Resort, and began strangling the driver with a piece of tape.

According to a recent court hearing, Aspeslet got on the bus before attacking the driver from behind, wrapping the tape around his neck and pulling.

Gasping for air, the driver struggled for breath as he tried to stop the tape from choking him.

Luckily, two passengers intervened, forcing Aspeslet off the bus.

Aspeslet headed to a nearby A&W restaurant, where he shouted and jumped around. 

When police arrived, he told them, “Patches can do anything he wants,” using his nickname “Patches” and referring to himself in the third person. He also told them he’d been using methamphetamine.

On Oct. 7, Aspeslet appeared in a Vernon courtroom from custody as a video of the attack was played.

The attack only lasted for about 10 seconds and the bus driver who was assaulted sat in the public gallery watching.

Court heard the attack in March had had a significant impact on the driver. He took two months off work, and the emotional trauma took its toll. He became hyper-vigilant, always checking if someone was behind him. He struggled, but returned to work for some normalcy. But he had lost his sense of humour and didn’t joke with the passengers anymore. He also became wary in crowds.

BC Provincial Court Judge Jeremy Guild said the attack was random and unprovoked, pointing out the bus driver was vulnerable.

“The accessibility of the transit system presents a potential risk,” Judge Guild said. “Bus drivers are at the mercy of whoever gets on the bus. They can’t control who gets on… and they’re left to hope that people will behave in a civilized and respectful way.”

Attacks on bus drivers are particularly problematic because they give the impression that transit isn’t safe, the Judge said, adding this disproportionately affects those who can’t afford to drive.

Aspeslet appeared in court virtually from custody, where he’s been since his arrest.

The court heard that the 27-year-old had long-standing substance use issues that led to psychosis.

When sober, his risk to reoffend was low, but when on drugs, that changes. He started taking drugs as a coping mechanism.

The court heard how his father had died by suicide weeks after he was born. He was challenging as a child, and began drinking at 11 years old. At 13, he began smoking cannabis, which turned into daily use, and he was placed in care. 

“Unsurprisingly, he felt little emotional support while with the Ministry of Children and Family Development,” the judge said.

Crown prosecutor Tiffany Zanatta went through a lengthy explanation of Aspeslet’s past, highlighting contradictions in psychological reports and whether his life in care was positive or not.

“He was raped,” his mother said, interrupting the proceedings from the public gallery.

The sexual abuse had happened when he was four years old, and had left him very angry.

“He didn’t know how to cope. He had difficulty. That is all not surprising,” Judge Guild said. “Unsurprising and very common for victims of sexual abuse, he engaged in self-harm behaviours as a means of coping… he became angry and destructive… he started using drugs to cope.”

The judge noted there was little support in such situations.

Aspeslet had graduated high school, but his drug use had consumed his life.

Over the years, a combination of his diabetes and drug and alcohol abuse had left him in a coma.

He’d been admitted to Bill’s Place recovery home in Vernon, but was kicked out for using drugs.

After years of drug abuse, Aspeslet didn’t have a criminal record.

“When somebody has had that addiction for that many years it is highly unusual,” the Judge said.

However, Judge Guild highlighted that Aspeslet had little understanding of the assault, and he’d described it as “silly.”

The Judge said he had no expression of remorse and limited insight and sentenced him to a year in jail. With time already served, he has two months left behind bars.

Aspeslet also consented to undergo psychiatric treatment and counselling, which the judge mandated as part of his probation.

At the end of the proceedings, his mother shouted to Aspeslet on the video screen, telling him to go and see a doctor.

Outside the courtroom, the bus driver told iNFOnews.ca he hoped Aspeslet got the help he needed.

“I know it wasn’t him… I know what drugs and alcohol does,” he said, adding that people have to have compassion for others.