REGINA — A Saskatchewan court has rejected a man's appeal to lower his sentence for driving drunk and running over and killing a conservation officer.
Blaine Taypotat was given 9 1/2 years for killing 23-year-old Justin Knackstedt near Saskatoon in May 2013.
He wanted the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal to reduce his sentence to eight years, arguing the trial judge misapplied a sentencing factor requiring courts to take into account the upbringing of an indigenous offender.
His lawyer, Josephine de Whytell, said Taypotat was brought up in an environment “fraught with alcohol-induced violence” and that alcohol became his coping mechanism.
De Whytell said Taypotat, who is 38, was abused at a residential school where he spent eight years and that the collision happened shortly after he had received compensation.
The Appeal Court dismissed the case Thursday, ruling that the trial judge made no errors.
The Crown said Taypotat sped past the roadblock and drove down the middle of the two-lane highway while being pursued by police. That's when he struck Knackstedt.
"Rather than stop to see if he could help, the appellant sped away toward Saskatoon, only stopping when he rolled his vehicle and it burst into flames," wrote prosecutor Andrew Davis.
A police officer and a bystander crawled into the burning vehicle to cut Taypotat loose and drag him to safety.
Court documents show his blood alcohol level was more than three times the legal limit.
Taypotat pleaded guilty in December 2014 to manslaughter and impaired driving causing death and was sentenced last year.
