A Montreal Lake man has pleaded guilty to the kidnapping and assault of his aunt while charges of attempted murder have been dropped.

Last summer, 31-year-old Kevin Henderson kidnapped and assaulted his 66-year-old-aunt.

While the attempted murder charges were dropped, Henderson pleaded guilty to two counts of aggravated assault, kidnapping and theft of a motor vehicle.  He also pleaded guilty for several breaches against him from a separate charge.

A trial was scheduled for this week in Montreal Lake, but Henderson’s lawyer Brian Pfefferle says the Crown would have focused on the attempted murder charges during the two-day trial.

“In consultation with the witnesses and police, (the Crown) essentially accepted our proposal to enter pleas to the other offences if they would withdraw the attempted murder charges,” said Pfefferle.

A sentencing hearing is scheduled for August 14 in Montreal Lake.  Pfefferle says both sides will be seeking a significant penitentiary sentence, but may differ on the length of the sentence.

Henderson is currently serving a sentence for prior drug charges and is scheduled to be released in early August.