Child-sex offender Donnie Snook gets second shot at day parole application

Former Saint John city councillor Donnie Snook appears in court in Corner Brook, N.L., Aug. 19, 2013.

A former Saint John, N.B., city councillor who is serving an 18-year prison sentence for child sex-related offences will have another opportunity to apply for day parole.

In 2013, Donnie Snook pleaded guilty to 46 charges, including sexual assault and possessing, distributing, and making child pornography.

The offences took place over 12 years and involved 17 victims between the ages of six and 15.

The Parole Board of Canada denied Snook’s application for day parole in 2022 citing Snook’s risk to the community and saying he had more work to do to assess those risks.

Snook filed an appeal, and in a March 24 decision, the Parole Board of Canada Appeal Division ordered a new hearing to consider his application for day parole.

In its decision, the appeal board stated it had reviewed the file and listened to the audio recording of the previous hearing.

According to the document from the Parole Board of Canada, the reasons cited for ordering a new hearing are based on an inadequate or unfair risk assessment and the reasonableness of the decision.

A new date for the parole hearing was not given.