"This is an absolutely incredible case," said Judge Parker in sentencing Donald Hass to two years in jail for the highway shooting of Gerry Braden last week.

Hass was charged August 6 with unlawfully discharging a firearm causing bodily harm to Gerry Braden, after Braden had passed Hass on the highway and Hass attempted to stop him. The two-day hearing before Judge Parker, sitting as magistrate, wound up late Thursday afternoon.

Commenting on the actions of Hass and his son in connection with the incident, Mr. Justice Parker said, "This is an absolutely incredible case. This type of behaviour is unknown, I think, to persons living in this country. I have never heard of anything like this happening before, this driving up a highway with an arsenal of weapons and the son firing out the side of the car and the father firing at this vehicle. It seems to me to be quite mad."

MORGUES FULL

Judge Parker continued, "If people are going to resort to firearms over every annoyance which arises in their lives, the morgues are going to be full. This is an impossible performance. It is very hard to conceive what sort of mentality a person would have who would commit an offense of this kind, presumable absolutely no respect whatever for law and order as we understand it here.

What he did very nearly resulted in the death of Braden but, fortunately for him, it didn't and he is being punished only for the offense which he actually committed."

Hass was sentenced to two years in B.C. Penitentiary, with the recommendation that he be deported at the end of the prison term.

AGRAVATING

In his judgment Mr. Justice Parker commented people in the north should be aware of the risk of flying stone. The Judge added, "It is aggravating to have persons passing you, particularly on these gravel highways, when you are going about the legal limit. It shows a lack of courtesy."

Mr. Hass was not the first person to have been aggravated by this type of driving, the Judge remarked. He stated, "Other vehicles should not be passed when they are already traveling at the legal limit."