Man convicted of drunk driving in officer’s death must live in halfway house

A man convicted of impaired driving in the death of a West Shore Mountie can continue to live in the community, but must stay either in a halfway house or a psychiatric facility approved by Corrections Canada, the Parole Board of Canada has decided.

Kenneth Jacob Fenton, who has been out on statutory release since March, was sentenced in 2017 to four years in prison for impaired driving after his vehicle broadsided Const. Sarah Beckett’s marked police car at the intersection of Goldstream Avenue and Peatt Road in Langford in April 2016, killing the 32-year-old mother of two boys.

Fenton was also given an 18-month sentence for a second impaired-driving incident in May of 2016, when a passenger in the vehicle he was driving while out on bail was seriously injured.

The parole board said it imposed the residency restriction because Fenton needs “more structure.” The board said in a statement its release decision was based on the nature and severity of Fenton’s offences, his overall positive behaviour while incarcerated and his apparent motivation to address serious substance-abuse issues.

“[Corrections Canada] has decided to maintain your release rather than suspend your statutory release, but they also believe that you need more structure so a residency condition is being recommended,” the statement said.

Fenton was first granted day parole in January 2019 so he could attend a residential substance-abuse program. He was again given day parole in August 2019 and placed in a facility. He has received day parole at six-month intervals since. In February of this year, Fenton was granted extended three-day leaves and overnight parole privileges ahead of a March statutory release date. That allowed him to spend four days at his halfway house, followed by three days at an approved apartment as a transition to living independently.

In March, Fenton started living independently, but in September, urinalysis revealed he had used drugs and a revised release plan required that he return to the halfway house.

The board noted the most recent correctional plan update in early October suggested substance abuse and attitude are contributing factors that need to improve. It also pointed out Fenton’s case-management team is concerned with recent lapses in judgment and the potential for harm should he use drugs, drink alcohol and drive.

On top of the special residency condition, Fenton must abide by the existing conditions of his parole — he is not allowed to consume alcohol or drugs, he must avoid contact with his victims and their families, he cannot own or drive a vehicle, he must report all intimate relationships, he must follow a treatment plan for substance abuse and attitude and he must not travel to Vancouver Island without permission of a parole supervisor.