Surrey resident Jordon Robert James Bottomley has been sentenced to eight years in prison after pleading guilty to manslaughter in the 2019 stabbing death of Andrew Baldwin in Whalley.
But after credit for time served, his sentence works out to 1,133 days, or three years and 38 days.
Baldwin was stabbed in the chest on Nov. 11, 2019. Bottomley, 29, was originally charged with first-degree murder but pleaded down to the lesser offence after his trial began in B.C. Supreme Court in New Westminster. The Crown argued for a 12-year sentence of 12 years in prison while the defence argued for six to seven years.
Justice Martha Devlin in her July 18 reasons for sentence noted that Baldwin and Bottomley were friends and in July and August 2019 shared a basement suite and used and sold drugs. “During this period, Mr. Baldwin occupied a higher position than Mr. Bottomley in the trafficking operation, and directed Mr. Bottomley regarding which drugs he could sell and when.”
By the fall of 2019, Devlin noted, their friendship deteriorated and both were struggling with drug addiction.
Baldwin’s parents and relatives submitted victim impact statements to the judge.
“I have read them all. They are profoundly moving and emotional. Collectively, they reveal the sense of unrelenting sadness that has settled over the lives of Andrew’s loved ones as a result of losing Andrew. The victim impact statements also reveal the joy and happiness that Andrew brought to their lives,” Devlin noted.
Bottomley also addressed the court.
“He expressed sincere remorse and took responsibility for his actions,” Devlin decided. “He sincerely apologized for taking Andrew’s life. I found Mr. Bottomley’s remarks to be genuine and sincere.”
She said she hopes Bottomley’s conscience, and the “consequences flowing from his offending, will serve to deter him from descending once more into the criminal milieu and from engaging in the violent behaviour that it unfortunately inspires. In particular, Mr. Bottomley must now pass every day of the rest of his life knowing that he killed his friend. I take his sincere expression of remorse as some indication that this burden may hopefully be instructive.”
tom.zytaruk@surreynowleader.com
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