29 months in prison for St. Johns road rager

A St. Johns man who chased down anotherman, hit him and battered his car with a bat after he was given "the finger" on the road has been sentenced to more than two years in prison.

At an earlier sentencing hearing, Christopher Hollett, 33, said he was out of control in June 2010 when the attack happened.

Hollett chased Dennis Fleming after Fleming flipped Hollett a finger after being cut off in the Columbus Drive area.

The chase ended at the parking lot of a gas station on Kenmount Road, where Fleming made an urgent call for help. A clerk at the station identified Hollett as the driver who attacked Fleming.

The 29-month sentence thatJudge David Orr gaveHollett is in line with what the Crown suggested atHollett's sentencinghearing on Sept.2.

At that time, the Crown said Hollett, who was convicted of dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and assault with a weapon, should be given a sentence between 21 and 30 months. Hollett was also convicted of possession of an illegal weapon during an unrelated drug raid.

The defence asked for a sentence of eight months.

On Sept. 2, Hollett, a father of two with a history of drug addiction and breaching court orders, appealed for leniency.

He told Orr his life fell apart when his mother died a year and a half ago. He said he slipped back into drugs, spiralled downward, lost contact with his family and still can't explain what snapped inside him the day he attacked thecar with a bat.

He said he cannot change what happened but is working on his problems with the help of counsellors and wants a chance to be a father to his children again.