Warning: Details in this story may be distressing to some readers.
The BC Review Board has decided a man found not criminally responsible on account of mental disorder in the axe killing of his mother in Gibsons in 2020 — and who has “unfettered access to a significant amount of money” — has a treatment plan in place, which if followed, will allow for eventual unescorted time in the community.
With respect to a single count of second-degree murder, on May 5, 2022, Justice Geoffrey Gomery found Kevin Christopher Webster not criminally responsible in the Supreme Court in Vancouver. Webster pleaded not guilty.
The offence occurred Dec. 27, 2020 when Webster was charged with second-degree murder in the death of his mother, Moirin Gladys Webster, in her home on Sargent Road in Gibsons on the Sunshine Coast. Webster killed his mother with an axe while she slept and was arrested at the scene without incident.
On June 10, 2024, the review board held a mandatory hearing to review Webster’s custody disposition, which was initially made in June 2022 and extended in May 2023. At the conclusion of that 2023 hearing, the board reserved its decision and it was subsequently ordered that Webster be detained in custody at the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital (FPH) in Coquitlam.
At the June 10 hearing, the review board concluded that Webster has a major mental disorder, which is treatment resistant, has limited insight into his mental illness and substance use disorder, as well as ongoing delusions that his family are trying to kill him.
“We find that if left to his own devices, Mr. Webster would discontinue medication, resume drug use, become increasingly delusional, fear for his safety, and act with violence to defend himself. We agree with the parties in finding that Mr. Webster poses a significant threat to public safety. He is not entitled to be absolutely discharged.”
Evidence was given at the hearing, which showed Webster recently inherited a significant amount of money from the estates of two deceased relatives (including his mother). At the hearing, a social worker told the board he’s working to involve the Office of the Public Guardian and Trustee to potentially manage Webster’s funds. As of the time of the hearing, that office was not yet involved and it was unclear what role they might play in the future.
Evidence provided also showed Webster has “appropriately and successfully engaged in community access on escorted passes this year without incident.”
The report added, “at this time, however, Mr. Webster may have unfettered access to a significant amount of money that he could easily use to abscond from FPH and/or access drugs that would be detrimental to his mental health and the safety of the public.”
A social worker told the board that he knew of no external safeguards in place, which would prevent Webster from accessing his funds. The proposed treatment plan includes withholding Webster's bank card and identification documents, and limiting the duration of his community access to match his attention span.
In response, the board wrote, “We are encouraged that the treatment team appears alive to these issues and has proposed a reasonable, gradual approach to Mr. Webster’s eventual unescorted community access… With those elements in place, we agree that Mr. Webster’s risk to the community could be adequately mitigated even while he is unescorted in the community for limited amounts of time.”
Regarding community access, Review Board Liaison Michelle Simard reported that Webster participated in his first escorted community outing on Feb. 14, 2024. He has since attended four staff-escorted outings. According to psychiatrist Dr. Mario Moscovici’s report, staff described Mr. Webster as calm and cooperative during the outings. Moscovici added, Webster also continues to hold delusional beliefs.
In his defence, Webster said he is no longer bothered by psychosis, but declined to answer questions about his experience of schizophrenia, or what his symptoms are. He agreed he would take medications if he were given a conditional or an absolute discharge and said he would like to go for a walk if given community passes.
The board also added a prohibition against Webster using knives or bladed weapons, and added opioids and methamphetamine to the list of substances Webster is prohibited from using.
The order is reviewable within 12 months. The full review can be found at canlii.org/en.
With files from Jeremy Hainsworth.
