A man accused of fatally stabbing another man in a Nanaimo shopping centre parking lot earlier this year has pleaded guilty to manslaughter.

Sean Carl John Patterson appeared in provincial court in Nanaimo on Monday, Dec. 18, and formally entered his plea.

He was charged with second-degree murder following an incident Jan. 22 when he was accused of stabbing Serguei Chiliakhov in the Port Place mall parking lot in downtown Nanaimo. The victim died of his injury in hospital.

Crown counsel Nick Barber, who indicated that the Crown counsel agreed with the guilty plea to the lesser charge, said the incident was captured on the shopping centre鈥檚 closed circuit video system. He said the knife used to kill the victim was thrown away but located by an RCMP tactical unit.

Justice Robin Baird advised the accused that in spite of the joint submission by Crown counsel and defence counsel, the court is not bound by any agreement between the parties and the matter will be up to the presiding judge at sentencing.

Defence counsel Kelly Bradshaw said Patterson has had a history of depression and said substance abuse was a factor in the case. She and the Crown requested that the court order Patterson to undergo a psychiatric assessment to be added to the pre-sentencing report to assist the sentencing judge鈥檚 decision.

Barber said Patterson had no criminal history prior to the fatal stabbing and he was not opposed to Bradshaw鈥檚 request for the psychiatric evaluation.

鈥淚 gather you鈥檝e got a history of depression and 鈥� issues with substance abuse and so on and that鈥檚 exactly what the psychiatrist will want to explore with you,鈥� Baird told the accused. 鈥淚 expect you to co-operate with that in order to give the court the best possible information about you and your background and your mental health background.鈥�

Patterson鈥檚 next court appearance, to fix a date for sentencing, is scheduled for Feb. 26.

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