VANCOUVER – Critics are calling for the federal government to review the sentences given to serious offenders this morning.
This comes after documents revealed Crown lawyers did not ask for electronic monitoring for the man accused of murdering 17-year-old Serena Vermeersch.
Forty-three-year-old Raymond Caissie is charged with the second-degree murder of Vermeersch.
The serial offender was denied parole eight times. Despite being considered a high risk to re-offend he was released into the community last year after serving 22 years for a violent sexual assault.
The documents reveal a glimpse into Caissie’s life and rehabilitation while serving time.
They deal with his previous convictions of carrying a concealed weapon in 1989, kidnapping in 1990 and sexual assault, forcible confinement and robbery in 1992.
Caissie’s first detention review was in September 2006. Part of his detention review document reads:
“…in addition to the above, your behaviour within prison has been marred by instances of violence, threatening and weapons possession. Psychological information indicates that you pose a moderate to high risk for both general and sexually violent recidivism.”
His last review, in January 2013 reads:
“…placed in segregation due to threats to staff. Your case management team is of the opinion that there has been no change in the risk you present to the community… have not participated in any interventions which would reduce your risk to re-offend…continue to be assessed as a moderate to high risk to re-offend violently and sexually.”
The documents say every year, since 2006 to Caissie’s last detention review in 2013, that the board is satisfied that if released Caissie is likely to commit an offence causing the death of, or serious harm to, another person.
Caissie’s next court appearance is Oct. 2.
Justice Minister Peter McKay said on Tuesday that the federal government is looking at what changes they can make.
“But also we are looking at ways in which the very worst, those who are most violent, those who have committed murder in concert with other violent offences against the public and the individual, that they are never released,” he said.
In Question Period on Wednesday McKay described what happened to Vermeersch as a “horrific case.”
“Mr Speaker, after years of soft on crime policies from the Liberal government, Canadians can now count on a Liberal government to re-establish Canada as a county where those that break the law are punished with penalties that match the crime.”
“Our government has presented over 30 justice bills, we made it a priority to protect our most vulnerable – our children – by cracking down on child sex predators, we’ve introduced more consecutive and mandatory minimum sentences for serious violent crime. We ended house arrest for child sex offences, got rid of the “Faint hope clause”, raised the age of consent and gave more protection for victims. Mr Speaker, serious violent crime deserves serious time – that’s what our government has delivered.”
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