Man who unleashed a series of attacks in downtown Vancouver last year while on probation for threatening Canada’s deputy prime minister not criminally responsible due to mental disorder (NCRMD).
At a hearing in Vancouver Provincial Court on Wednesday, Kent Meades, 46, entered guilty pleas to eight of the nine charges he faced in relation to his actions on March 20, 2024.
Meades admitted to aggravated assault, three counts of assault with a weapon, two counts of threatening and one count of assault and mischief, while one count of obstructing a law enforcement officer Peace was maintained by the Crown.
Police said Meades had been released from the Fraser Regional Correctional Center six days before the crime, which culminated in a random stabbing.
The court heard evidence from an expert witness who testified Meades was diagnosed with a bipolar type of schizoaffective disorder and did not have the ability to distinguish right and wrong at the time of the offenses.
Both Crown and Defense counsel made submissions to the Court on why Meades should be found NCRMD.
An agreed statement of facts filed in the Vancouver Provincial Court docket describes the events of the chaotic day in question.
According to the document, Meades encountered a stranger a few blocks from the waterfront station around 8:40 a.m. and began “spontaneously punching him in the head and face while saying something like ‘Just take a single cigarette butt”.
The man was able to run away as Meades continued to yell at him before taking a cigarette himself and walking away.
About six minutes later, Meades walked into nearby Deville Coffee and began throwing chairs at the window, causing one to break and a bar stool to split in two.
He then turned to the customers inside and held up another chair before putting it down and walking out, the document states.
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Security video then captured Meades at his Cobalt Hotel home where he changed some of his clothes and “appears to have armed himself,” according to the documents.
Around 11:20 a.m., Meades passed a man in the 800 block of Main Street and again, “for no discernible reason, (he) thrust a knife into his hand and shouted ‘have you taken any trash lately?’ “”
Meades chased the victim, causing him to fall and scratch his hands, knee and hip.
About thirty minutes later, Meades showed up at the intersection of Smithe and Beatty streets, where he caused a disturbance and attracted the attention of passersby, who described him as “appearing tall” and holding a knife.
Meades punched a man in the head, but that victim largely dodged the blow and quickly walked away, according to court records.
His attacker followed him briefly, declaring: “If I see you again, I will kill you.”
Meades also came up behind another young man and lit part of the back of his shirt on fire, burning in one spot and causing minor burns to his back.
Meades also threatened to kill that person if he saw him again, according to filings.
As this series of random attacks was unfolding, a 61-year-old business executive walked by on his way to work and was spotted by Meade, who changed course on the sidewalk to intercept him.
Meades stabbed the man in the chest before police piled in and arrested him a short distance away.
Meades State Depots continued to walk with the knife when an officer drew his gun and yelled “police!” Stop! Get down on the ground.
The injury by the 61-year-old victim was not considered life-threatening and he made a full recovery.
After diminished access to legal counsel, Meades made several statements after his arrest, including: “I’m sorry about this, it’s about doing things that need to happen.”
In her statement to police, Meades was calm and polite, but expressed obvious delusions about how no one was helping her with “her mission from God to clean up.”
He complained “they wouldn’t even take an ass of a cigarette” and explained that he “wanted to scare people and his plan was to escalate if necessary, even to the point of killing someone if necessary.”
Meades, according to the document, said he hated Westerners and targeted the executive because of the suit he wore. He also claimed to have saved the world from Vladimir Putin and nuclear war.
Meades offered “clear, non-abundant memories of most of the assaults” and denied being a drug addict.
He admitted he was a recovered alcoholic who last drank in May 2022 and a cannabis user, but said: “God’s messages did not come more or less frequently when he smoked pot.” marijuana.”
Meades confirmed he had been diagnosed with bipolar but did not consider himself to be in a manic episode although he said he had not taken his medication “in a while”.
During pretrial detention last April, Meades was certified and taken to the forensic psychiatric hospital.
He has remained in a mental health unit since returning to the North Fraser Prescription Center last May.
Justice Eugene Jamieson adopted Crown and Defense’s joint submission and deferred the Meades disposition to the B.C. review panel.
Crown sought and was granted a detention order for Meades, who will remain in custody until the review panel hearing, which is expected to occur within 45 days.
Meades was sentenced to 148 days in prison and three years in prison. probation In December 2023, after being convicted of threatening to cause death or bodily harm to Liberal MP Chrystia Freeland in August of that year.
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