Content warning: This story contains graphic details that may be disturbing to some.

An appeal to extend the sentence of an Ontario truck driver who killed a woman in her Edmonton hotel room in 2011 has been rejected.

After a long court process, Bradley Barton was sentenced to 12.5 years in prison for manslaughter in the death of 36-year-old Cindy Gladue in 2021.

The Crown objected to this sentence, calling it “manifestly inappropriate”.

That appeal was rejected by the Alberta Court of Appeal, according to documents filed Friday.

“No sentence imposed will adequately relieve the pain inflicted on Ms. Gladue’s family and community,” the panel judges wrote.

“We hope that by making this call, some peace and healing can begin.”

Barton was initially found not guilty of first-degree murder by a jury in Gladue’s death in 2015.

The acquittal of Gladue, a Métis and Cree woman who was described as a “whore” and “indigenous” during the trial, sparked outrage and rallies across the country.

Her vaginal tissue was presented as evidence.

The Alberta Court of Appeal and the Supreme Court ordered a new trial.

During the hearing, the court heard from Barton from Mississauga, Ontario. He hired Gladue for two nights of sex, during which she suffered a serious injury to her vagina that led to her death.

Barton testified that the sexual intercourse was consensual, adding that he had some “blood” on his hands after the act, but thought Gladue was “on her period.”

He told Gladue that he was no longer interested in being with her and refused to pay her before falling asleep.

He said he was shocked when he found her dead in the bathtub of his hotel room the next morning.

The Crown argued that Barton performed an act on Gladue when she fainted, causing her to bleed to death in the bathtub.

According to the agreed facts, Barton did not call for help after finding Gladue dead.

He left his hotel room, grabbed a coffee, and met with a colleague.

He then returned to the hotel, got another key to the room and called 911.

Barton appealed his conviction for manslaughter and asked for a new trial, but the appeal was rejected earlier this year.

The Supreme Court of Canada also refused to hear the conviction appeal.