The number of men — mainly convicted killers and child sexual assaulters — accused of breaching long-term supervision orders is on the rise in B.C., a Glacier Media investigation shows.
In Canada’s criminal justice system, they have not been deemed dangerous enough to be held in custody as dangerous offenders. Instead, they have been declared long-term offenders, live at designated community facilities and are generally free to move about those communities — with conditions.
They are watched by police, leading to some being caught doing things courts have told them not to do.
In the past several months, B.C. has seen a rash of alleged breaches of what are known as LTSOs by high-risk offenders.
A Glacier Media survey of court dockets and news articles reveals alleged breaches occurring in the Metro Vancouver and the Okanagan regions. Public Safety Canada statistics available until 2021-2022 also show marginal rises.
The offenders have been convicted of child sexual abuse, multiple sex assaults, homicides and other serious crimes.
Canada’s National Parole Board said such orders are an alternative to a dangerous offender order, which can see a criminal jailed for an indeterminate period.
A long-term supervision order starts when an offender has finished serving all sentences for offences for which they have been convicted. Such orders allow offenders to live in the community under supervision for up to 10 years.
The long-term offender designation targets sexual and violent offenders who, on the evidence, are likely to reoffend, B.C. Prosecution documents said.
Who are B.C.’s best-known alleged long-term order breachers?
Randall Hopley, 58, pleaded guilty April 26 to four counts of breach of a long-term supervision order and failing to appear.
Crown prosecutor Jacinta Lawton told Judge Jennifer Oulton that Hopley failed to return to his Vancouver halfway house, the Salvation Army's Downtown Eastside Harbour Light facility, on Nov. 4, 2023.
His electronic ankle monitoring bracelet was removed at Vancouver’s Main Street and East 8th Avenue. A Canada-wide warrant was subsequently issued.
He was missing for 10 days, a period that saw intense media coverage and wide public concern. The bracelet was never found.
In 2008, Hopley was convicted of breaking and entering into a home and removing a child from his foster family. He was also convicted of sexual assault of a five-year-old boy and assault of a woman in a parking lot.
Back in 2011, he abducted a three-year-old boy from his home in Sparwood in southeastern B.C. and was released with conditions under a long-term supervision order. Hopley held the boy captive in a cabin for four days before returning him unharmed.
Hopley completed a six-year prison term for the incident.
He was arrested in January 2023 for allegedly breaching those conditions by visiting a library and getting too close to children and was released on bail. He had been living at Harbourlight but is now back in jail for the breaches.
Steven Frederickson, 57, remains before Vancouver Provincial Court on a charge of breaching his supervision order Feb. 8.
After a trial on a charge of second-degree murder in the 2010 death of Robert-Jan Planje, Frederickson was convicted of manslaughter. He had already served time for charges, including aggravated assault, forcible confinement, mischief, dangerous driving, breaches of court orders and stolen credit card possession.
At 14, he was convicted of common assault in an incident involving a 10-year-old girl.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice William Grist made the LTSO in February 2016.
In another case, Jatin Patel had been convicted of killing a B.C. sex worker in 2003 and also assaulting children.
Patel was granted bail Feb. 21 on two charges they violated a long-term supervision order. Vancouver Provincial Court Judge Nancy Adams put Patel on the same conditions as contained in the supervision order.
Adams said any risk Patel may pose could be managed in the community by the Parole Board of Canada. The breach charges remain before the court.
Patel is living at downtown Vancouver’s Salvation Army Belkin House.
Meanwhile, Andrew Aurie Jefferson was convicted of multiple sexual assaults. He pleaded guilty Feb. 7 to breaching a long-term supervision order.
Jefferson was designated a long-term offender subject to a 10-year supervision order by Surrey Provincial Court Judge Michael Hicks Oct. 17, 2014.
In 2007 in Calgary, he received a six-and-a-half-year sentence after pleas of guilty to sexual assault with a weapon, sexual assault, assault, three counts of forcible confinement and three counts of uttering threats.
In making an LTSO, Hicks concluded Jefferson had a substantial risk of reoffending.
On April 16, Wilbert Luke Jackson-Bullshields elected to go to trial after pleading not guilty to three drug trafficking charges. He is also facing a count of breaching a 10-year, long-term supervision order he was on at the time of the then-alleged offences.
B.C. Supreme Court Justice Loryl Russell put Jackson-Bullshields on a long-term supervision order after convictions on multiple charges in 2017. Those included vehicle thefts or attempted thefts, mischief, theft or going after a driver with a 2x4 among others.
The judge said Jackson-Bullshields has been given multiple “passes” with lenient sentences and alternative placements have not worked.
“Only lengthy supervision and support is going to effect the necessary changes for him to turn his life around,” Russell said. “Until the offender is able to stop seeing himself as a victim of the system and takes responsibility for his actions, he will not take control of his life and accept treatment for his mental health problems. To take these steps, he will need continuing supervision and support.”
High-risk sex offender Kenneth Kirton was wanted Canada-wide in 2023 after failing to return to his halfway house. He was returned to jail several days later.
He had been bound by a long-term supervision order that included a requirement that he reside at a halfway house in East Vancouver. Kirton was convicted of sexual assault in 1987 and had been serving a 10-year long-term supervision order.
In 2005, William Paul Willan was sentenced to three years in prison following a sexual assault conviction. In that case, he used walkie-talkies to lure young boys for sex.
Willan was labelled a long-term offender and placed on a supervision order, the conditions of which he violated repeatedly. His release was suspended nine times due to breaches before the long-term supervision order expired in 2020.
In 2019, he was busted after using an electronic device to access the internet in a Staples store. Over a period of two hours, he searched online for images of young boys in swimsuits.
Managing offenders in the community
Glacier Media asked the Vancouver Police Department (VPD) how offenders are surveilled and how many are under supervision in the city and was referred to Corrections Canada.
Glacier Media received the same suggestion from the RCMP.
A Vancouver Provincial Court judge has heard the VPD’s high-risk offender unit watches such offenders.
Correctional Service of Canada
Correctional Service of Canada (CS) spokesperson Lucinda Fraser said long-term supervision orders provide an extra measure of safety for the public by ensuring that potentially high-risk offenders are appropriately supervised after their sentence expires.
While the courts are responsible for imposing them, under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, Fraser said CSC is responsible for the supervision of offenders subject to an LTSO.
“These begin once an offender has reached their warrant expiry date (sentence end) and are considered to have completed their sentence and can vary in length for periods of up to 10 years,” she said.
Fraser said the supervision of someone on an LTSO resembles a conditional release, whereby the offender would regularly meet with their parole officer.
“The frequency and nature of contact are determined by the assessed risk posed by the individual and their level of need,” Fraser said.
“Those subject to an LTSO are subject to the standard conditions of parole and any additional conditions the Parole Board of Canada feels are necessary to mitigate risk in the community,” she added.
She said those conditions might include geographic restrictions, prohibitions on communicating with certain people or residency requirements. The latter requires them to report to a community residential facility (CRF) or community-based residential facility (CBRF) under a designated curfew.
However, Fraser explained, when someone is found in breach of their LTSO conditions, a suspension warrant can be issued for a period of 90 days.
A hearing before the Parole Board of Canada would then take place to either cancel the suspension or pursue a laying of information to charge them with an offence in connection with the breach.
“Should charges be laid, the usual processes of the criminal justice system would take place, which includes being remanded in pre-trial custody pending trial, unless bail is granted by the courts,” Fraser said. “If bail is granted, they would return to the community under the supervision of their LTSO while awaiting any court dates. Should they be convicted and see themselves imposed a new sentence, their LTSO would be paused until the new sentence is completed.”
The Salvation Army’s role
The Salvation Army is one organization which operates residential facilities such as those mentioned above.
Capt. Gina Haggett said the Salvation Army has a long history of providing specialized programming under its Correctional and Justice Services (CJS) ministry.
“We encourage and assist those affected by the justice system in all aspects of their journey through the courts, incarceration, and parole, as well as offering programming and support for family members,” Haggett said. “CJS offers clients practical support, outreach, and other types of assistance to facilitate a productive and positive re-integration into the community following incarceration.”
She said the Salvation Army offers 24-hour staffed accommodation through cooperative arrangements with provincial and federal parole officials and plays a growing role in prison rehabilitation and crime prevention.
“We strive to build stronger relationships between participants and their families, provide tools and knowledge for independent living, find solutions to better handle life situations, and set realistic goals,” she said.
However, Haggett explained, if an individual does not comply with any condition while at a facility, the organization acts immediately. That includes reporting the non-compliance to a parole officer or case worker and, depending on the nature of the breach, engaging police and alerting Corrections Canada.
