Guilty pleas entered in beating of mentally ill man on Saskatchewan farm

A photo of Christopher Hawkins from an online obituary. (Source: Martens Warman Funeral Home)

Melfort -

Two men accused of beating and tying up a mentally ill man on a Saskatchewan farm have pleaded guilty to assault causing bodily harm.

Adam and Peter Mclean of Melfort, northeast of Saskatoon, are to be sentenced in July.

The men were initially charged with aggravated assault against Christopher Hawkins, an agronomist who struggled with his mental health.

RCMP say Hawkins had walked on the farm to take photos of combines in 2022, when he was beaten bloody and bound with cable ties.

Hawkins died months later and an autopsy report said there was no evidence the assault played a role in his death.

An RCMP report last year found two officers were negligent in the investigation, as Hawkins was arrested at the scene and his sister was later told the Mcleans couldn't be charged because the victim had died.

Adam Mclean continues to face charges of forcible confinement and assault with a weapon. Peter Mclean is also charged with forcible confinement and uttering threats.

Those charges are to be spoken to at the sentencing hearing.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published April 16, 2024.