The drunk driver behind the 2016 death of West Shore RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett has been granted overnight parole privileges.
Kenneth Jacob Fenton was given a five-and-a-half year prison sentence in July 2017. One year earlier, he was speeding away from a police car when he crashed into Beckett’s cruiser resulting in her death. A mother of two boys, 32-year-old Beckett had recently returned to work after maternity leave.
Fenton’s trial heard that his truck was travelling up to 90 km/h when he smashed into Beckett’s car. He pleaded guilty to charges relating to driving with a blood alcohol content of over 0.08, causing an accident resulting in bodily harm, and failing to stop for police.
RELATED: UPDATED: Fenton gets four years for crash that killed cop
One month after hitting Beckett’s cruiser, Fenton again crashed his vehicle while driving impaired, injuring himself and his passenger.
Fenton was granted parole in January 2019 for the purpose of attending treatment in the community. He completed a residential substance abuse treatment program in May 2019 and the board described his overall behaviour as appropriate. In August that year, he was again granted day parole – that time for six months. At the time, he was required to return to the facility he was staying in nightly and was told he needed to demonstrate a period of stability and compliance before overnight leave would be considered. Day parole has continued in six-month increments since then.
The Feb. 9 decision allows for four days in a community residential facility and three at his apartment.
RELATED: ‘I’m just absolutely disgusted’: Husband furious after Const. Beckett’s killer gets day parole
Do you have a story tip? Email: jane.skrypnek@blackpress.ca.
Follow us on Twitter and Instagram, and like us on Facebook.
