The release of a violent offender with 51 convictions sparked debate in the B.C. legislature on Oct. 24, about what the opposition calls sa国际传媒渃atch and releasesa国际传媒� and sa国际传媒渟oft on crimesa国际传媒� NDP government policies.
Karin Kirpatrick, MLA for West Vancouver-Capilano and official opposition critic, stood up during question period to ask why Tyler Jack Newton, a man who is convicted of manslaughter for an unprovoked fatal knife attack in 2014, was once again released from prison.
sa国际传媒淓very day there is another catch-and-release horror story. Tyler Newton is a violent prolific offender,sa国际传媒� said Kirpatrick.
In 2016, Newton was sentenced to 4.5 more years behind bars on top of the half credit for the 602 days he had already served for fatally stabbing Caesar Rosales in Kelowna.
READ MORE: Kelowna bus killersa国际传媒檚 sentence is sa国际传媒榓n insult,sa国际传媒� says victimsa国际传媒檚 family
Newton was then arrested in September 2022 for aggravated assault and assault with a weapon. He was then released and when he failed to appear for a court date, triggering a province-wide warrant for his arrest on Oct. 6.
BC Prosecution Service confirmed that on Oct. 21, Newton had his release set at $500 sa国际传媒渨ith conditions designed to ensure the safety of the public and the justice system participants.sa国际传媒�
The Kelowna court registry said that the conditions of his release include a no-contact order with the alleged victim of the assault, the requirement to live at a pre-determined address, which they called a sa国际传媒渉alfway housesa国际传媒�, a curfew, no weapons, no drugs or alcohol, travel restrictions, that the requirement that he reports to his supervisor, and attends all court dates.
Kirpatrick said that parole documents show that Newton has sa国际传媒渂latantly and repeatedly disregarded release conditions,sa国际传媒� and is a high-risk offender with a history of breaching parole.
Hon. Murray Rankin, Minister of Indigenous Relations and Reconciliation and Attorney General and Minister Responsible for Housing, responded with the issues surrounding repeat offenders are the sa国际传媒渦nintended consequences of the bail reform act of 2019.sa国际传媒�
The bail reform act of 2019 stems from Bill C-75, where bail provisions were updated in Canadasa国际传媒檚 Criminal Code, allowing for sa国际传媒減rinciple restraintsa国际传媒� to be used by police and courts to ensure that sa国际传媒渞elease at the earliest opportunity is favoured over detentionsa国际传媒� and with less strict bail conditions according to rulings by the Supreme Court of Canada.
Kirpatrick said that the opposition is calling on the NDP to issue a directive to Crown prosecutors that puts sa国际传媒渢he right of the communitysa国际传媒檚 safety ahead of the criminalsa国际传媒檚 right to re-offend.sa国际传媒�
Rankin said that the NDP government is working to reinstate programs that had been cancelled by the former government and are currently implementing programs that were suggested by an independent review board.
Rankin added that the provincial government is working with municipal and federal agencies to deal with sa国际传媒渘ot just the crime but the causes of crime as well.sa国际传媒�
Jacqueline.Gelineau@kelownacapnews.com
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