CRACK COCAINE FUELLED BLACK-EYED BANDIT'S ROBBERY SPREE

Crack cocaine was the fuel for Winnipeg's "black-eyed bandit" and a
robbery spree that has now resulted in a six-year prison term.

Bjarne Joseph Roussin, 26, was sentenced yesterday after pleading
guilty to three holdups committed to feed his drug addiction between
2002 and 2004.

The Crown was also forced to stay several other robbery charges based
on a lack of evidence and said the six-year penalty represents a "true
plea bargain."

In one case, Roussin was armed with a loaded pellet gun that he used
to shoot the cook at a Winnipeg restaurant in the head and chest,
court was told yesterday.

The employee at the Portage Avenue Chicken Chef suffered minor
injuries and managed to land a few blows of his own, including the one
to Roussin's eye that landed him the dubious title. "He's lucky he's
not going away for life," Queen's Bench Justice Brenda Keyser said
yesterday after hearing details of the pellet-gun shooting.

In another case, Roussin robbed a Mac's Convenience Store while armed
with a knife. There were no injuries. The third incident involves an
attempted gunpoint robbery of a man walking home from work.

Roussin has spent more than 35 months in total pre-trial custody,
which was given double-time credit yesterday of 71 months.

The result is that only one month remains in his sentence before
Roussin is back in the community.

Roussin was first arrested in November 2002 and charged with seven
knifepoint and hatchet robberies at various city gas bars and
convenience stores.

Roussin was released on bail in early 2004 and ordered to live at a
provincial treatment centre. But he walked away weeks later, and a
warrant was issued for his arrest. Roussin got reinvolved while on the
run, including the Chicken Chef incident in April 2004.