Bus driver attacker reads letter at hearing admitting responsibility

An Edmonton man who viciously attacked a city bus driver read a letter  at the conclusion of his dangerous offender hearing admitting  responsibility and blaming alcohol.

Gary Edwin Mattson pleaded guilty in May 2010 to aggravated assault for attacking Tom Bregg on his bus during the morning rush hour on Dec. 3, 2009.

The Crown is now seeking to have Mattson declared a dangerous offender and kept in prison indefinitely.

In the letter Mattson read Monday, he takes full responsibility for beating Bregg and stomping on his face 15 times. The attack put Bregg in intensive care for two weeks and left him blind in one eye.

Mattson called himself "a terrible drinker" and said "I underestimated the alcohol in me" at the time of the attack.

Crown prosecutor Patricia Innes said despite the comments, Mattson should be declared a dangerous offender.

She said Mattson needs a "stable lifestyle imposed on him."

The attack, which put Bregg in intensive care for two weeks and left him blind in one eye, was caught on the bus security camera.

Mattson's dangerous offender hearing started in December and has continued intermittently over the past seven months.