Regina police investigating after man convicted of sex assault appears on dating app

Regina Police are investigating after a violent sexual offender recently appeared on Tinder, a popular dating app.

While police say it’s unclear if 30-year-old Phillip Levac created the profile himself, they are looking into whether or not it’s a breach of his conditions.

“If through investigation, we can determine an offence has occurred, a breach, then the appropriate charges can be laid,” Elizabeth Popowich, Regina Police Service spokesperson said.

Police notified the public in early November that Levac would be moving into the North Central neighbourhood of Regina and that he has a criminal history which includes violent sexual offences.

He also has a history of re-offending and during his time of incarceration has never completed programming designated to address his risk factors.

Levac is bound by a number of conditions including notifying his probation officer if he becomes involved in a personal or sexual relationship. But it doesn’t explicitly restrict the use of social media or dating apps.

Lisa Miller, Executive Director of the Regina Sexual Assault Centre says restrictions on dating apps or other social media sites should be in place for offenders like Levac.

“Times change and technology changes and this is how people are meeting other people, is online,” she said. “I think that the courts have to recognize that and there’s probably a conversation to be had about how people meet other people.”

It’s a problem Miller says she sees all too often, online dating apps making it easy to connect with strangers.

“You literally have no idea who is showing up to pick you up for a date,” she said. “There’s inherently a greater risk to people using dating sites because of the anonymity. People can present themselves as anybody without a shred of accuracy or truth to that profile.”

At the Regina Sexual Assault Centre, Miller adds a growing number of clients have been victimized by people they’ve met online.

She’s hoping this raises awareness and prompts people to use caution while engaging with strangers online.