A B.C. man who pleaded guilty to six charges of driving while prohibited or with his licence suspended and dangerous driving has been sentenced to 180 days in jail by a Vancouver Provincial Court judge.
Richard Lawrence Bezanson Jr. was charged with 32 counts of either driving while prohibited or driving while his licence was suspended with offences in Vancouver, Richmond and Burnaby. He was also charged with 19 breaches of court undertakings or release orders.
Bezanson also pleaded guilty to a dangerous driving Criminal Code offence.
There, Crown prosecutor Sharon Preston said police saw a grey Honda Sept. 27, 2023 and identified Bezanson as the driver. They attempted to pull him over but he began to try and evade them. The court heard he drove on the shoulder on Vancouver’s Rupert Street and blew through a stop sign.
“Mr. Bezanson acted aggressively and spun his tires,” Preston said. “The traffic was heavy. Mr. Bezanson was hugging the curb and passed other vehicle traffic.”
“It’s a one-way street,” Bezanson interjected.
When Preston said he was almost t-boned by another car, Bezanson again interrupted.
“This is f****** bullshit,” he said.
That led the judge to halt proceedings to say he could not accept the guilty plea on the dangerous driving charge unless Bezanson accepted it.
“I want this taken care of,” Bezanson said. “I agree. I did it. I plead guilty to everything.”
Preston continued saying the police were faced with a shouting and swearing Bezanson when they apprehended him.
Defence lawyer Leo Fumano soon asked his client, “Mr. Bezanson, do you acknowledge that driving in that manner into oncoming traffic is dangerous?”
“Yes, I do,” Bezanson said.
At various times during the sentencing hearing, Bezanson, appearing by video, claimed he was just driving to work or to the gym, comments Judge David St. Pierre called “lame and woeful excuses.”
As he passed sentence, St. Pierre told Bezanson that driving without a licence means insurance is invalid leaving an offender open to significant legal action if someone is injured or killed.
“It’s devastating to a lot of people,” the judge said, saying the man kept repeating the same bad decision-making “over and over and over again.”
“I’ve learned my lesson,” Bezanson said.
Preston said Bezanson’s behaviour was a “total disregard for any court order.”
Of Bezanson’s interruptions, Fumano said, “he’s frustrated. It’s cost him everything. It’s not just his liberty; he’s lost his job.”
And, Fumano said, when Bezanson gets out of jail, he’s going to have to find a new home as well as work.
“He’s going to be homeless when he gets out,” Fumano said. “His whole life has fallen apart.”
The prohibitions and offences
Preston told St. Pierre that on June 1, 2022, police saw a blue Mercedes owned by someone else speeding near Central Boulevard and Boundary Road in Burnaby.
She said Bezanson was cooperative with police when they discovered he was prohibited from driving.
Preston said on Oct. 9, 2022, Bezanson was spotted in the Mercedes at Willingdon Avenue and Graveley Street in Burnaby making a high-speed turn without using an indicator. He was again pulled over and found to be prohibited.
On Oct. 24, 2022, she said police spotted a Mercedes believed to be involved in prohibited driving offences and pulled it over. Police again found Bezanson to be prohibited.
Then, on Jan. 29, 2023, he was pulled over on Willingdon when police saw the Mercedes. At this point, police were aware of Bezanson.
“They pulled the vehicle over,” she said. “Mr. Bezanson is the driver.”
On March 22, 2023, Bezanson was seen on the Knight Street Bridge and was pulled over at Knight Street and 63rd Avenue in Vancouver.
Bezanson has been in custody since June 17 for which he receives 110 days credit leaving him with 70 days more time in jail.
He is banned from driving for three years and must also pay $1,800 in fines as well as a 15% victim surcharge on that amount.
Bezanson is also facing other charges that have yet to be dealt with.
