A man who was declared a dangerous offender after he was found guilty of sexually assaulting a woman in a 2001 attack near Connaught Hill has been denied parole.
In a decision issued last Friday, a Parole Board of Canada panel found William Garfield Garnot, 60, had not taken steps towards rehabilitation.
Specifically, he has not participated in a psychological assessment or programming or other interventions that would reduce his risk to offend again, the panel said.
Garnot continues to claim his innocence, which is his right, the panel said, but that does not preclude him from participating in program and his refusal to do so has stifled his ability to learn how to manage his risk factors and address his childhood trauma issues.
Garnot waived his right to a hearing before the panel and did not provide written comments.
Garnot was found guilty of aggravated sexual assault in 2011 and declared a dangerous offender in 2015, which meant he had to serve at least seven years behind bars before he could apply for parole. If he is released from prison, he will be under supervision for the rest of his life.
The sentence stems from a 2001 incident. In 2008, a match with Garnot's DNA was discovered during a search of the national databank and the matter went to trial in late 2010.
Garnot had six previous convictions for sexual offences, all involving children, and a criminal record of 56 convictions since his first one in 1973, when he was prosecuted as an adult at age 15.
He has been sentenced to periods of imprisonment totaling about 30 years.
