A B.C. man accused of trying to murder his elderly mother nearly two years ago was sentenced to six years in prison on Friday.
After pleading guilty to a lesser charge of aggravated assault earlier in the week, Kevin Barrett of West Kelowna was handed his jail sentence in B.C. Supreme Court in Kelowna.
Barrett was accused of severely beating his mother, Eleanor Holmes, 79, then driving her up a forest service road in the Central Okanagan, rolling her over an embankment and leaving her for dead.
Holmes, covered in blood, was found by two passersby.
Barrett was arrested hours after the incident in April 2019. He was found at Holmes’ home in West Kelowna’s Westview Village Mobile Home Park.
He was charged with attempted murder and aggravated assault.
On Tuesday, Jan. 26, Barrett pleaded guilty to the lesser charge he had been facing. The plea came just before his mother was to testify against him.
The attempted murder charge against him was stayed.
In earlier proceedings, court was told that Barrett was diagnosed with bipolar disorder as a child, and that his behaviour started to deteriorate as a teenager when he started drinking.
“Mr. Barrett’s mental illness and alcohol use have contributed towards his previous criminal behaviour,” said Crown prosecutor Patricia O’Neil said.
Having spent time in custody awaiting trial, Barrett received a credit of 899 days. That means he has about 3.5 years remaining. He’s also prohibited from communicating with his mother for the rest of his custodial sentence.
— With files from Jules Knox.
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