Notorious child murderer Clifford Olson declared on Tuesday that he will "never again" ask for parole after his request for freedom was turned down.
Olson was denied parole by the National Parole Board at a hearing in Ste-Anne-des-Plaines, Que. on Tuesday.
During the hearing he stood up and said "this is the final time" he would use his right to go before the parole board.
"Never again," Olson said.
CTV's Montreal Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin, who was at the hearing, said Olson presented an affidavit that he said was proof that he would not ask for parole in the future.
Few had expected that Olson, now 70, would be allowed to leave prison. He is serving 11 consecutive life sentences after being convicted in 1982 of killing eight girls and three boys in British Columbia.
Even Olson himself told the board he didn't expect parole, but that he still wanted to exercise his right to the hearing.
Though the pledge from Olson has no legal weight, it held promise for the families of his victims, some of whom relive their loss every two years when Olson is up for possible parole.
"If it is true it is a big relief to the families who say coming here every two years and being subjected to these difficult moments is of course very trying for them," Beauchemin told CTV News Channel.
In an unusual move, Olson had a newspaper columnist serving as his assistant at the hearing. The columnist said he had nothing to say in defence of Olson, and that he had only attended because he was asked for his help.
In fact, the columnist told the court that if it was up to him, Olson would have been executed years before, Beauchemin said.
The mother of one of Olson's victims was in court for the hearing Tuesday to try to shift the spotlight away from Olson and to remind the parole board that his victims were once living, breathing people.
Sharon Rosenfeld, whose 16-year-old son Daryn Johnsrude was raped and murdered by Olson, said the focus too often ends up on the perpetrator rather than their victims.
"I am always going to be here to represent Daryn to let the Canadian public know and to let the parole board know that Daryn was a real live person, a young boy who deserved to live, and I don't want the parole board to forget that," she told CTV's Canada AM.
In 1982, Rosenfeld committed to attend every legal proceeding involving her son's killer. Seeing Olson, she said, is the most difficult part of keeping her commitment.
"This has been going on for a number of years now, for 29 years. I can't say it gets any easier but it is a necessity for myself and my family to be here always to represent Daryn."
The first time Olson was up for parole, in 2006, the bid was quickly rejected. The board then said Olson's potential to escape and re-offend was still considered high.
During the 2006 parole hearing, Olson was described as a sexual sadist with narcissistic tendencies. The board was also told Olson felt no remorse for his victims.
Olson hasn't shirked the spotlight in recent years.
This year, he became entangled in a public battle with Ottawa after it was discovered that he was receiving pension payments from the federal government while in prison.
At one time he also tried to sell his signature and souvenirs on an online auction site.
New federal legislation is in the works to do away with automatic parole hearings after 25 years. But the legislation won't be retroactive and won't apply to Olson.
