Trucker blames witnessing bus beheading for his legal woes

Christopher Alguire, 29, is facing charges of break-and-enter and failing to appear in court stemming from an incident last fall in which he allegedly got drunk and broke into a fenced compound after a night of drinking at a rural Manitoba bar.

Alguire allegedly began ranting about the killing of Tim McLean, which had happened only weeks earlier.

"I can't imagine not being messed up after what he witnessed," an unnamed justice source told the Winnipeg Free Press.

Alguire's case remains before the courts, but justice officials are sympathetic to his plight and working on a resolution, the source said.

His lawyer couldn't be reached for comment. It's not known if Alguire plans to use post-traumatic stress disorder as a potential defence if the case proceeds to trial.

The long-distance trucker was driving his rig down the Trans-Canada Highway following a trip to Alberta when he saw a Greyhound bus abruptly pull off the road near Portage la Prairie, Man., on July 31.

Passengers began screaming about a man being stabbed, so Alguire grabbed a metal bar and jumped on board.

He helped the bus driver and another passenger get the others off the bus, then watched in horror as the 22-year-old McLean was decapitated in front of him.

Alguire helped keep suspect Vincent Li inside the bus until RCMP arrived.

Alguire was critical of the Mounties for their response, telling reporters police should have shot Li rather than allowing McLean's body to be defiled.

McLean's family has expressed similar concerns and filed a lawsuit against several parties, including the RCMP, claiming their inaction only increased the family's pain and suffering.

Alguire, who lives in St. Labre, southeast of Winnipeg, told the Steinbach-Carillon newspaper  (scroll down) in September that he was having difficulty adjusting to normal life, despite taking six weeks off work after the incident, which he said replayed in his mind.

He said he planned to get counselling to deal with the trauma.