Bre McAdam
Saskatoon StarPhoenix
Timothy Richard Gunn keeps getting behind the wheel when he isn’t allowed to drive.
The Saskatoon man’s licence had been revoked — due to his troubling history of dangerous driving and non-compliance with driving prohibitions — when he was caught driving between July and August 2023.
Court heard that he drove “regularly” despite his prohibition.
Gunn, 36, was convicted in December 2024 of driving while disqualified after a Saskatoon provincial court trial. On Wednesday, Judge Vanessa Monar Enweani sentenced him to 16 months in jail.
With an enhanced remand credit for the time he already spent in custody, Gunn had a day left to serve.
More than 10 years ago, Gunn, 26 at the time, drove a stolen truck throughout Saskatoon, hitting civilian and police cars during a destructive, high-speed chase on June 25, 2014.
At his sentencing in 2015, court heard Gunn drove through parks and into oncoming traffic, sometimes speeding up to 120 km/hr, and tried to steal other vehicles. At one point, he aimed the truck at a police officer who was taking witness statements, prompting the officer to fire shots.
The pursuit lasted an hour, and only ended after police cars rammed the stolen truck to the point where it couldn’t be Gunn said he didn’t remember much from the chase after drinking an iced cappuccino that he claimed was laced with drugs. Even so, he pleaded guilty to evading police, possession of a stolen truck, driving while disqualified, attempting to steal a vehicle, dangerous driving causing bodily harm, assaulting a police officer with a weapon and three hit-and runs.
He was sentenced to three years in prison and banned from driving for five years after his release from custody.
Before that, parole documents show Gunn had recently finished serving a five-year sentence on assault, break and enter and drug charges. His statutory released was revoked twice in 2012 and 2013 when he was caught driving without a licence.
At the time, the documents stated Gunn was a known gang member who started using drugs at a young age.
During Wednesday’s sentencing, court heard he has 16 prior driving convictions that include multiple counts of dangerous driving causing bodily harm, driving while disqualified, evading police and failing to stop at the scene of a crash.
The Crown asked for a two-year sentence to reflect his problematic driving record. The defence asked for 12 months.
Court heard Gunn intends to take programming at STR8 UP, a local organization that helps people leave gangs. Monar Enweani said she believes he has a “genuine desire” to address his addictions issues for the sake of his son.
She also said the systemic issues he’s faced as an Indigenous man — which the Supreme Court mandates sentencing judges to consider — reduces his moral culpability, and therefore reduced his sentence from 18 to 16 months.
Gunn is — once again — prohibited from driving for five years, consecutive to any pre-existing driving ban that might be in place.
The StarPhoenix confirmed that he remains in custody, charged with other driving offences out of Prince Albert.
