FREDERICTON — The convicted murderer and rapist Allan Legere, who became known as known as the "Monster of the Miramichi" in the late 1980s, has failed to overturn a decision this year that denied him parole. The Parole Board of Canada had refused Legere's application in January, but he appealed, alleging bias by two women members of the board. In a decision dated July 7 and released Monday, the appeal division of the Parole Board upheld the January ruling. "A board member's gender, on its own is not sufficient to conclude that there exists a reasonable apprehension of bias," the decision states. "Moreover, there is nothing on the audio recording to suggest the board members appeared biased." The appeal division notes that Legere's crimes were "characterized by general hostility and sexual violence against women. Ongoing concerns in this domain, at this stage in your sentence, is a clear demonstration of your entrenched and ongoing issues with managing thinking patterns that support risky sexual and violent behaviours." It says the board denied parole based on Legere's violent criminal history "that resulted in the death of a number of victims" as well as a "poor supervision history" and high risk "for violent and sexual recidivism." Legere famously escaped from custody on May 3, 1989 while serving a life sentence for the murder of store owner John Glendenning during a 1986 robbery. He then terrorized the Miramichi area in northeastern New Brunswick as he carried out four more brutal murders, several arsons and a sexual assault before being recaptured on Nov. 24, 1989. Yet, even when he was imprisoned at the maximum security Atlantic Institution after his 1991 conviction, Legere appeared to keep plotting how he could escape. The report released after the January parole hearing includes a mention that Legere also attempted an escape in 1991. The appeal division said in the latest ruling that Legere raised a number of other issues following the January hearing, such as a request for a hearing every year, and concerns about the quality of his parole officers. But it concluded those issues are outside its jurisdiction. This report by The Canadian Press was first published July 19, 2021.
