West Kelowna man who beat mother in 2019 incident to remain behind bars

A West Kelowna man who in 2019 brutally beat his mother and left her for dead, failed for the second time this year in an attempt to win more freedom.

Kevin Barrett was denied statutory release in April, with the Parole Board of Canada describing him as someone who is “likely to commit an offense causing death or serious harm to another person” if he were to be released from prison.

1:55 Attempted murder trial: Rescuer describes finding elderly West Kelowna victim

The board highlighted his persistent violence, use of weapons, assessed risk of future violence, indifference to the harm he caused others, and the absence of a supervision plan as significant factors in their decision.

In July, Barrett appealed that decision noting, among other things, the board failed to explain its decision clearly, and that it discriminated against him due to his mental health issues.

Barrett has been diagnosed with borderline personality and narcissistic personality disorder, schizophrenia and bipolar disorder.

The appeal division of the parole board found that wasn’t the case.

Their assessment of Barrett’s risk was his “propensity to overreact to situations,” his inability to emotionally self-regulate, his willingness to use violence to achieve his goals, and general deflection of blame.

Barrett, the appeal board said, also displays “significant tendencies to deflect blame, to minimize his own culpability, and to dismiss (his) documented mental health challenges, all of which can be seen as aggravating (his) risk to re-offend.”

2:00 Surprise guilty plea in trial of man accused of mother’s aggravated assault

While each of those factors has an underlying mental health component to it, the board said its focus in making the decision to detain Barrett was on how his potential actions could impact public safety.

The appeal division also dismissed the notion that the board’s decision was not rational and logically structured.

“The board’s decision stressed that although (Barrett) has completed some programming targeting his risk and needs it has not translated to a reduction of risk.

He had a release plan that did not seem realistic, failed to account for appropriate supervision and risk mitigation strategies and that, along with his violent tendencies, posed an undue risk to the public.

Barrett was “likely to commit an offense before his warrant expiry date that would cause the death of, or serious injury to another person,” reads the decision.

Barrett, now 64, was sentenced to three years and six months in prison in 2021  after pleading guilty to aggravated assault, in the near-fatal attack of his mother two years earlier.