No bail for convicted sex offender accused of new crimes

A man who served his full sentence for sex crimes some 15 years ago was denied bail Thursday on a number of new charges, including aggravated sexual assault and repeated sexual assaults on a minor.

The parole board had denied parole to the man three times, citing a high risk to re-offend sexually or violently. Publication bans on bail hearings are sweeping, so no details of the Crown’s case against the man – from a Beaufort Delta community – can be published. 

His alleged victims are minors, so any detail that could lead to their identification cannot be made public.

Thursday was the last of several appearances for the man in Justice of the Peace Court since he was arrested in late June. He has appeared via video from North Slave Correctional Complex and has expressed obvious frustration with the process at times.

The man leaned forward and held his head down after being denied bail, as he listened to his lawyer Peter Harte discuss a return date to court with Crown prosecutor Morgan Fane. That will be on August 5 in Territorial Court. 

As Cabin Radio previously reported, RCMP have sworn that from August 2014 to June 20, 2020 there were “hundreds of sexual assaults” on a minor under the age of 14 in a community, who also was shown pornography throughout 2019.

Police claim another minor was sexually touched for more than 11 months in 2015 before being sexually assaulted in 2016.

A woman was sexually assaulted and choked in the community on June 6, and a woman was assaulted with damage done to her property on June 20, police allege.

A male was also allegedly sexually assaulted on June 20 in the same community.

On June 20, the convicted sex offender was charged with 10 crimes, including: aggravated sexual assault [choking]; three counts of sexual assault; making child pornography; and two counts of sexual exploitation.

Nine years ago, at the time of the convicted sex offender’s release, the CBC reported some residents in the community were so afraid of his return that they circulated a petition calling on the chief and council to block the man’s return.