By candlelight, thousands honour Const. Sarah Beckett

Man who killed B.C. RCMP officer in drunk driving crash gets 4 years in prison

Kenneth Fenton pleaded guilty to crash that killed mountie Sarah Beckett in April 2016

The Canadian Press Posted: Jul 14, 2017


Cst. Sarah Beckett was remembered at an emotional ceremony held in a packed hockey arena in Colwood, B.C. in June. (RCMP)

The man who killed a mother of two when his truck rammed into her RCMP cruiser while driving drunk and speeding has been sentenced to four years in prison and a five-year driving ban when he is released.

The court heard during Kenneth Fenton's sentencing hearing that he had a blood-alcohol level three times the legal limit when he ran a red light in Langford B.C., a suburb of Victoria, and hit Cst. Sarah Beckett's cruiser broadside.

Fenton pleaded guilty to impaired driving causing death and dangerous driving causing death for the April 2016 crash that killed the 32-year-old officer.

She was an 11-year RCMP veteran who had recently returned from maternity leave before her death.

'Sorry'

Fenton, 29, told the court at his sentencing hearing last week that he was sorry for his actions and that he would take the officer's place if he could.

Beckett's husband told the court the hardest thing after his wife's death was telling their six-year-old son that mom wasn't coming home.

The Crown had asked for a three-to-five-year prison sentence, while his defence lawyer said a three-year sentence would be more appropriate.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/fenton-sentencing-1.4205277

I went to her service. It was heart breaking. I am guessing the police took a long time to the prepare charges so that they have everything solid prior to going before the courts. I hope justice is served. I still get choked up when ever I drive past the site of her death.

Charges approved in death of RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett.

Kenneth Jacob Fenton facing 5 counts, including impaired driving causing death.

Sep 14, 2016

Criminal charges have been approved against Kenneth Jacob Fenton in the high-profile traffic death of RCMP Const. Sarah Beckett earlier this year on Vancouver Island.

Fenton is facing five counts, according to B.C.'s Criminal Justice Branch:

Impaired driving causing death.
Flight from police causing death.
Dangerous driving causing death.
Driving with a blood alcohol content in excess of 80 milligrams.
Refusing to provide a sample of his blood.
Beckett, 32, was killed in the early morning of April 5 when the marked police car she was driving was struck by a pickup truck in the Victoria suburb of Langford, B.C.

An eyewitness reported seeing a speeding truck seconds before the crash. Jordan Coons rushed to the scene of the accident and attempted to help two officers free both drivers from their vehicles.

"They were just mangled," said Coons at the time. "His truck was right on top of her. His bumper was right inside her window."

Fenton is being sued for a separate single-vehicle roll-over accident which occurred outside Victoria one month later. A female passenger in a truck Fenton was driving is asking for damages and loss of income suffered as a result of her injuries.

Fenton was also charged with impaired driving in 2010. He was found guilty of the lesser offence of driving without due care and attention.

An 11-year veteran of the RCMP, Beckett is survived by a husband and two young children.

Thousands of people, including many police officers, emergency responders and military personnel, attended her funeral.

http://www.cbc.ca/news/canada/british-columbia/charges-approved-in-death-of-rcmp-const-sarah-beckett-1.3762066

As many as three thousand people turned out last night in Langford, west of Victoria, for a candlelight march to remember Constable Sarah Beckett.
Participants walked about a kilometre to Veterans Memorial Park from the Langford intersection where Beckett died last week.

The 32-year-old RCMP officer with the West Shore detachment was on duty when she was killed by a pickup truck that collided with her marked cruiser.
A regimental funeral will be held tomorrow at an arena in nearby Colwood.
BC Ferries is offering free ferry rides for all first responders to help them travel to the funeral.
How to donate
Donations have poured in on a GoFundMe page set up to help support Beckett’s family.
The campaign shattered its goal of $5,000 and has raised more than $80,000 since it was established last week. The campaign will continue until Monday, April 18.
The Victoria division of the RCMP Veterans’ Association has also established a trust account under the name "Sarah Beckett Family in Trust."
The account is set up at Coast Capital Savings, and donations may be made at any branch across the Lower Mainland or Vancouver Island.
Those wanting to send condolences for the Beckett family are encouraged to email them to RCMP at RCMP.Condolences-Condoleances.GRC@rcmp-grc.ca.

http://bc.ctvnews.ca/by-candlelight-thousands-honour-const-sarah-beckett-1.2853890