Crown Counsel are expected to appear in court today in a bid to see Allan Schoenborn declared a high-risk offender.
The application comes after the June decision by the British Columbia Review Board to grant Schoenborn, who was found not criminally responsible for killing his three children, escorted day passes into the community.
The Crown was able to apply for a high-risk designation after legislation for adults declared Not Criminally Responsible (NCR) was amended. If the application is accepted, Schoenborn would lose access to his day passes. He is currently being held at the Colony Farm Forensic Psychiatric Hospital.
The decision by the BC Review Board to grant Schoenborn day passes caused much shock and anger in the community.
At the time of the decision, Schoenborn’s former wife, Darcie Clarke, said in a statement,
Two weeks ago Allan Schoenborn, the man who murdered my three children – Kaitlynne, Max and Cordon – was granted escorted visits into the Tri-Cities. This was an outcome my family and I had been dreading. Today, that dread has turned to anguish. Today Justice Minister Suzanne Anton refused to help correct an unjust decision and turned down our appeal of the B.C. Review Board’s ruling granting freedoms to a triple child killer.
Following the day pass decision, the Criminal Justice Branch said based on their findings, an appeal would not be filed on behalf of the Crown but that they would assess seeking a “high-risk designation” through the court for Schoenborn.
Today BC Attorney General Suzanne Anton said in a statement, “independent of government, B.C.’s Criminal Justice Branch has decided that it is appropriate to seek a high-risk designation in regard to Allan Schoenborn. Now that the application has been filed under the Criminal Code of Canada, the next step will be for the B.C. Supreme Court to determine whether a designation is appropriate.
Ms. Clarke and her family have my sympathy and the sympathy of all British Columbians. I hope they’re able to find some comfort resulting from this decision by Crown Counsel. I can’t imagine what an ordeal this has been for them over the past number of years.”
In 2010, Schoenborn was found to be not criminally responsible for the murder of his three children. The judge ruled that at the time Schoenborn committed the offences he was suffering from a mental disorder.
Schoenborn has previously said he has no intention of trying to escape during his escorted community trips.
His next Supreme Court date is set for Oct. 8 in New Westminster.
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