Judge to decide if Sask. man should be registered as national sex offender

Joseph Yaremko. (Facebook photo)

Warning: This story contains descriptions of sexual assault

A judge will decide if a Warman, Sask. man who broke into a woman’s condo and sexually assaulted her, should be added to the national sex offender registry.

On June 3, 2019, Joseph Yaremko forced his way into a random woman’s condo in Saskatoon’s Stonebridge neighbourhood while trying to run from police.

Yaremko threatened the woman with a knife, sexually assaulted her multiple times and forced her to do drugs, court heard.

The woman, who was 21 at the time, was eventually able to escape and call police.

On Dec. 23, 2021, a judge found Yaremko guilty of sexual assault with a weapon and forcible confinement.

On Thursday, Justice Daryl Labach designated Yaremko as a dangerous offender. He was sentenced to an “indeterminate period of incarceration.”

Offenders serving indeterminate sentences can apply for parole after seven years. Some spend the rest of their lives behind bars.

The final piece of Yaremko’s sentence surrounds the Sex Offender Information Registration Act (SOIRA) — a law which allows judges to order convicted sex offenders to register on a government database.

Labach heard the Crown and defence’s arguments on Monday at Saskatoon’s Court of King’s Bench.

The judge reserved his decision for Feb. 21.

Yaremko is currently serving his sentence at the Saskatchewan Penitentiary in Prince Albert.