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Parole denied to child pornographer

A former Willow River man declared a dangerous offender after he was convicted of making child pornography will remain behind bars. In a Nov. 3 decision, the Parole Board of Canada denied James Darren Bennett, 57, both full and day parole.
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A former Willow River man declared a dangerous offender after he was convicted of making child pornography will remain behind bars.

In a Nov. 3 decision, the Parole Board of Canada denied James Darren Bennett, 57, both full and day parole.

A panel reviewing his case found Bennett has made progress and has successfully completed a work release but a psychologist found he downplayed the gravity of the offences he committed.

"It is clear to the board that given the very serious nature of sexual offending that included significant sexual deviance, you need to understand the underlying causes of your sexual deviancy and offence cycle," the panel said in a decision.

Bennett continues to pose a moderate-to-high risk to reoffend and has no viable plans for release, the panel also found. 

Bennett, who was transferred to a minimum security institution in 2013, was declared a dangerous offender in February 2000 after pleading guilty in the spring of 1999 to key charges in the Willow River child pornography case from the late 1990s.

Charges included five counts of sexual assault, three counts of overcoming resistance to the commission of an offence by administering a stupefying or overpowering drug and three counts of printing or publishing child pornography.

Bennett's criminal record prior to 2000 includes more than 50 convictions for property, fraud, driving, breach of trust and violent offences.

A dangerous offender designation carries an indeterminate sentence.

Bennett's co-accused, wife Crystal Diane Henricks was convicted on eight counts and sentenced to 13 years in prison.

The term was later reduced to seven years on appeal and by 2004 she was living under supervision in an undisclosed community, after reaching statutory release.

Their victims were a three-year-old boy, a pair of 10-year-old girls and a 15-year-old girl.

The offenses were primarily in the Willow River home shared by Bennett and Henricks.