The release of high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley back into the community has prompted a warning from Vancouver police, and concern from local advocates. While Hopley is bound by a number of strict release conditions, recent documents from the Parole Board of Canada note he has a “history of purposeful breaches of court orders.” During a previous release in 2023, Hopley cut off an ankle monitor and fled his halfway house, trigging a 10-day manhunt that only ended when he turned himself in. The year before that, Hopley was caught using a library computer to browse “articles about a young boy and a website advertising underwear for men” while just a few feet away from children, violating multiple conditions he was under at the time, according to the documents. The 60-year-old offender’s return to Vancouver is alarming for Angela Marie MacDougall of Battered Women’s Support Services. “The system is, quite frankly, gambling with the lives of women and children,” she said. “He does not want to be held accountable. He isn’t going to follow the rules.” According to the parole board documents, Hopley’s criminal history dates back to 1985, and includes convictions for sexual assault, assault, and property crimes. Other charges against him including gross indecency, invitation to sexual touching and forcible confinement were stayed. Back in 2011, Hopley made headlines when he abducted a young boy from the community of Sparwood, which happened while he was on probation. He was sentenced to prison and put under a 10-year supervision order, which began in 2018. Following his most recent release in May, he walked away from his halfway house a day later – a situation B.C. Premier David Eby called “outrageous.” “The last time Mr. Hopley was released, he terrified a family and an entire province. I can’t fathom how he would be released again,” Eby said at the time. In August, the Parole Board of Canada decided to revoke his statutory release. He was released by law on a recalculated date this month, to live in a community residential facility. The decision indicates Hopley had “participated in a variety of correctional programs and interventions” intended to reduce his risk, but that “few gains have been made.” “You are still considered a high risk to re-offend,” it reads, addressing Hopley directly. “You require close supervision, structure and support to monitor your behaviour appropriately.” Criminal defence lawyer Rishi Gill said it’s unusual for people to breach their conditions, and that generally speaking, the justice system is working as it should. The system must balance between “protecting the rights of the public and protecting the rights of the individual against unfair treatment,” Gill said. “The balance is usually struck properly,” he added. “And I think if anybody wants to actually look at the statistics for crime generally, you’ll see that the trend is basically either flat, or it’s been going down for the last 20 years.” Police urged anyone who spots Hopley violating his conditions to call 911. Those conditions include that he keep away from anywhere children under the age of 16 are likely to congregate, such as daycares, schools, parks, playgrounds, swimming pools and rec centres. He’s to obey a daily curfew from 6 p.m. to 7 a.m., as the parole board documents note he has previously “committed acts of voyeurism and stalked potential victims at night.” Hopley is barred from using or possessing computers or any devices that would allow for unsupervised access to the internet, and from possessing or accessing pornography or “sexually explicit material in any form,” authorities said. Police said officers from the department’s High-Risk Offender Unit will be working with the Correctional Service of Canada to monitor Hopley in Vancouver. With files from CTV News Vancouver’s Isabella Zavarise
