Kenneth Jacob Fenton enters the Western Communities Courthouse on July 7, 2017. File photo.
A B.C. judge has reserved her decision on sentencing for a Langford man who pleaded guilty in an impaired-driving crash that occurred six weeks after he killed RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett.
Kenneth Jacob Fenton is currently serving a four-year sentence for impaired driving causing the death of Beckett on April 5, 2016.
He pleaded guilty in June to driving over.08 and causing a crash that resulted in bodily harm to Meghan Ashe on May 22, 2016. He has also pleaded guilty to flight from police.
On May 22, 2016, police discovered a green 1997 Chevy pickup truck that had rolled over on Goldstream Heights Drive in the Malahat area. Two people were inside, including Fenton.
The crash was just over a month after Fenton rammed into Beckett’s RCMP cruiser while driving drunk and speeding, killing the 32-year-old mother of two.
On July 3 in a Duncan courtroom, Crown prosecutor Steven Richards asked that Fenton serve a consecutive 18-month sentence plus a five-year driving prohibition for the May 22 collision.
Richards said in court Tuesday that the Crowns sentencing recommendation of 18 months is taking into consideration both mitigating and aggravating circumstances.
The mitigating factors include Fenton’s guilty plea and rehabilitation efforts and the aggravating circumstances include Fenton’s blood alcohol level being 3.5 times the legal limit at the time of the crash, fleeing from police and killing Beckett six weeks earlier.
According to defence lawyer Dale Marshall, in B.C., a sentence for impaired driving causing bodily harm can range from 90 days to six months. But because of the unique circumstances of this case, Marshall says a longer sentence is warranted and is asking for a 12-month consecutive sentence.
Provincial court judge Lisa Mrojinski has decided that the date for Fenton’s sentencing will be announced on July 10.
Fenton is also facing a civil lawsuit launched by Meghan Ashe, the passenger in the truck. She claims he was driving carelessly and speeding, causing the truck to hit a rock and roll over. She also alleges he was impaired by alcohol, drugs and fatigue.
With files from Louise Dickson, Times Colonist
Alexa Huffman
