Provincial court Judge Brian Saunderson ordered that Wilson, 33, be given credit for the 43 days he spent in jail in the lead-up to sentencing last week, reducing Wilson’s effective sentence to 407 days (13 ? months). Saunderson also ordered a twoyear probation order to follow the jail time, which states that Wilson must remain in his residence between 10 p.m. and 6 a.m., and that he neither consume nor possess alcohol.

Wilson pled guilty to the offence in April, but sentencing was delayed to allow for the preparation of a presentence report. Wilson was previously sentenced to four months in jail in January, after pleading guilty to one count of breach of recognizance by entering a liquor store.

He was released from Vancouver Island Regional Correctional Centre on April 19, and boarded a bus from Victoria to Nanaimo, Crown prosecutor Richard Ellsay told the court. At about 2: 30 p.m. that same day, Wilson got off the bus at Nanaimo, whereupon plainclothes RCMP officers observed him walking from the bus depot in the direction a beer and wine store nearby. Once he returned to the bus depot, a bottle of Polar Ice vodka was found tucked in his waistband and he was arrested.

That incident resulted in the most recent breach of recognizance charge Wilson was sentenced for last week. Ellsay said the liquor store in Nanaimo was the same one Wilson visited during a separate incident in October 2002. On that occasion, Wilson purchased beer and a mickey, and made his way down the Old Island Highway intoxicated.

He flagged down an elderly couple’s motor home on the highway, and when the couple refused to give him a ride, he climbed onto the roof of the vehicle and broke inside through a vent. Once inside, Wilson proceeded to rape the female passenger, a woman in her 70s, while her husband eventually managed to flag down help as the vehicle reached Courtenay.

Wilson was charged with sexual assault and robbery, and was sentenced to eight years in prison. Ellsay said the Crown had “real concerns” with Wilson’s drinking, which was also a factor in a 2002 robbery conviction from Powell River. Wilson is considered likely to reoffend, said Ellsay, who argued for an 18-month sentence, which would also allow Wilson to access treatment and counselling.

Defence lawyer Dennis Evans acknowledged Wilson’s “significant” criminal record, and said the presentence report shows Wilson as a man who has given up on himself.However, Evans noted Wilson entered a guilty plea to the breach of recognizance charge early. Evans said his client has also attended Alcoholics Anonymous and will be seeking further treatment in custody.

Evans also said many of the incustody reports on Wilson were several years old, and that the latest, up-to-date report showed he was “beginning to benefit” from the resources available to him in prison. Evans said that although the 2002 offence was serious, Wilson served his time in prison.

The defence lawyer added that rehabilitation should be not be ruled out as a factor during sentencing, and asked for a six to eight-month sentence at a facility on the Lower Mainland. Saunderson opted to impose the 15-month sentence, however. The judge said protection of the public was the most important factor to consider during sentencing.