Canada's youngest dangerous offender, who sexually assaulted baby, seeks prison leave
Warning: This article contains disturbing details.
A convict who became Canada's youngest designated dangerous offender after sexually assaulting a three-month-old baby is seeking escorted leave from prison to attend Indigenous cultural ceremonies in Vancouver.
Tara Desousa, now 43, has applied to Federal Court to overturn a decision by B.C.'s Fraser Valley Institution to deny her "escorted temporary absences" from the federal women's prison.
Desousa, then named Adam Laboucan, was 15 years old in 1997 when she sexually assaulted an infant she was babysitting in Quesnel, B.C. The baby required surgery to repair the injuries.
Desousa, who underwent gender-affirming operations while serving an indefinite sentence, also admitted to drowning a three-year-old boy when she was 11 years old, which the judge in the sexual assault case said was below the age of criminal responsibility.
B.C. Supreme Court Judge Victor Curtis imposed an indefinite sentence and a dangerous-offender designation in 1999 because there was no foreseeable "time span in which Adam Laboucan may be cured."
"In doing so, I do not intend that Mr. Laboucan be kept in prison for many years with no hope for release," the judge wrote of the then-17-year-old.
"What is intended, and what must happen is that Mr. Laboucan be kept only so long as it is necessitated by the risk he poses."
A 'holistic' approach
The B.C. Court of Appeal upheld the dangerous offender designation in 2002.
Desousa's application filed in Federal Court in Vancouver in October says she first applied for escorted leave to attend ceremonies at the Anderson Lodge "healing centre for women" in August 2023.
The lodge is run by the Circle of Eagles Lodge Society, an Indigenous-led organization headed by CEO Merv Thomas.
Thomas said in an interview that he couldn't comment on individual offenders, but a lot of people "coming into our facilities are dealing with a lot of historical trauma."
He said the society takes a "holistic" approach to helping people heal through ceremonies held at the lodge, and "those that are involved in culture and ceremony have a greater chance at reintegrating positively into the community."
"We leave the final judgments to the creator," he said. "We don't judge anybody that comes to us."
He said there are "strict" conditions and protocols for offenders that come to the society's facilities, and "community safety" is paramount.
In his decades working with the organization, Thomas said even he has trouble reading the files of the "brothers and sisters" who seek help from the society, reading about some of the "horrific things" they've done.
"But I also started reading and started to understand where they came from and some of the atrocities and the damage that was done to them," he said.
"I understand and I see both sides and it's very difficult a lot of times to put our judgments aside. But at the same time, we work with them and we believe that everybody has an opportunity for change."
Desousa's Vancouver-based lawyer Caroline North declined to comment on the Federal Court application.
Parole attempts denied
Desousa has had several attempts for parole denied, most recently in June 2024.
The Parole Board of Canada decision said the assault victim and their "family have suffered pain, anxiety and anguish and long-term emotional impacts resulting from your offending."
"Each time you come up for parole, they are haunted by your offending and the damage you inflicted on their defenceless son/grandson," the decision said.
The board decision said Desousa was the victim of "extreme" abuse as a child, bullied at school, diagnosed with "several disorders," and exhibited "violent and sexual behaviour" around other children.
It said Desousa's case management team believed that escorted temporary absences were "the next logical step in reintegration and gradual release."
However, the board ruled that Desousa presented "an undue risk to society," if she was paroled.
A profile in Desousa's name is listed on Canadian Inmates Connect, which connects convicts with potential pen pals.
"I've been incarcerated since I was 15 years old. I was abused extensively as a child and did not know that this was not normal behaviour," says the profile, which includes photos. "I know now and I am remorseful. I have never been given a chance to have proper interaction with the world growing up."
Thomas said inmates approved for escorted absences to attend the lodge have to go through a "rigorous" process, but those who participate in ceremonies and access other supports from elders and counsellors see the greatest chance of reform and rehabilitation.
"When people embrace their culture, that's where we have seen the most change in people," he said. "They have to do the work themselves because if they don't do the work, then we can't change them."
This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 1, 2024.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Police find bag carried by gunman who killed UnitedHealthcare's CEO, say he likely fled NYC on bus
Investigators found a backpack in Central Park that was carried by the shooter, police said Friday, following a massive sweep to find it in a vast area with lakes and ponds, meadows, playgrounds and a densely wooded section called 'The Ramble.'
A police photographer recounts the harrowing day of the Polytechnique massacre
Montreal crime scene photographer Harold Rosenberg witnessed a lot of horror over his 30 years on the job, though nothing of the magnitude of what he captured with his lens at the Polytechnique on Dec. 6, 1989. He described the day of the Montreal massacre to CTV Quebec Bureau Chief Genevieve Beauchemin.
Quebec premier wants to ban praying in public
Premier François Legault took advantage of the last day of the parliamentary session on Friday to announce to 'Islamists' that he will 'fight' for Quebec values and possibly use the notwithstanding clause to ban prayer in public places such as parks.
Northern Ontario man sentenced for killing his dog
WARNING: This article contains graphic details of animal abuse which may be upsetting to some readers. A 40-year-old northern Ontario man is avoiding prison after pleading guilty to killing his dog earlier this year.
'Home Alone' house up for sale for US$3.8 million in Chicago suburb – but not the one you're thinking of
Social media sleuths noticed that the house next door to the iconic 'Home Alone' house in Winnetka is now up for sale.
Purolator, UPS pause shipments from couriers amid Canada Post strike
Purolator and UPS have paused shipments from some courier companies as they try to work through a deluge of deliveries brought on by the Canada Post strike.
NDP's Singh forces debate on $250 cheques for more Canadians; Conservatives cut it short
With the fate of the federal government's promised $250 cheques for 18.7 million workers hanging in the balance, the NDP forced a debate Friday on a motion pushing for the prime minister to expand eligibility. The conversation was cut short, though, by Conservative MPs' interventions.
Sask. father who kept daughter from mom to prevent COVID-19 vaccine free from additional prison time
Michael Gordon Jackson, the Saskatchewan father who withheld his then seven-year-old daughter from her mom for nearly 100 days to prevent the girl from getting a COVID-19 vaccine, was handed a 12-month prison sentence and 200 days probation on Friday, but credited with time served.
Did daily cannabis use go up after Canada legalized it?
Health Canada says daily cannabis use has remained stable since it was legalized in 2018.