Sex offender whose parole has been suspended more than 15 times granted overnight leave

Jonathan Cardinal is seen in an image provided by the Vancouver police.

VANCOUVER -

A sex offender with a history of violating the conditions of his release is permitted to leave his halfway house overnight.

The Parole Board of Canada's latest decision about Jonathan George Cardinal, rendered Monday, resulted in changes to his long-term supervisory order.

An LTSO is an option available to the courts to extend the length of time an offender is supervised by Corrections Canada after their initial sentence is complete. It's a measure used in cases where a subject is considered to pose a significant risk to re-offend.

Cardinal's LTSO includes conditions that he can't consume alcohol or non-prescribed drugs, and can't be in contact with his victim(s) or their family. He is also ordered not to associate with anyone involved in criminal activity or substance misuse, and must live at an approved facility and follow his treatment plan, among other conditions that include counselling.

He's currently serving a seven-year LTSO, after completing a 16-month sentence for sexual assaults that occurred in 2010.

"Both victims were intoxicated and vulnerable. You used choking to control them," the parole board wrote in summary of his conviction.

Cardinal has also been convicted of aggravated assault. Addressing the subject of their decision, the parole board wrote, "You have used weapons and violence to get what you want," and said his "problematic behaviour" was also noticed by prison staff.

Cardinal's parole was suspended just last month, but on Monday, the PBC decided to cancel the suspension and grant him a new privilege – overnight leave.

Cardinal has a history of this type of back-and-forth.

In 2019, CTV News wrote five articles about the offender. The first, on July 3, was when he was "unlawfully at large" after failing to return to his halfway house. The next, posted the following day, outlines a Canada-wide warrant for his arrest.

Later that day, another article outlined what was found in parole board documents obtained by CTV News: a history of no-shows, repeated drug use and pushing of boundaries. The headline featured a quote from a PBC report directed at Cardinal – "You continue to relapse."

He was arrested days later, but not before giving police a fake name, officers said. In September of 2019, the parole board wrote that it recommended a new criminal charge against the then-30-year-old.

The PBC did not say whether any violations occurred since that time, but wrote in its decision that his order has been suspended more than 15 times, and he's received multiple convictions for breaching the conditions.

Prior to Monday's update, his case was most recently before the board in May, when it decided not to grant overnight leave. Since that time, according to a report obtained by CTV News on Tuesday, cocaine was detected in a urine test in early October, and drug paraphernalia was found in his room.

According to the board, he did not "come clean," but instead provided excuses that were "not considered reliable."

In a summary of what has occurred since its last meeting with Cardinal, the board noted he appears to have stayed in contact with people involved in the drug trade, and does not seem interested in a more intense treatment. His parole supervisors suggest, the PBC wrote, that he doesn't take his breaches as seriously as he should.

But the PBC wrote that Cardinal hopes to participate in job training, and has said he'll continue to work with a trauma councillor and live in a community residential facility. The board also noted that he has not put the public at risk when using drugs.

So on Monday, the board changed its mind about overnight leave, as recommended by Correctional Service Canada. The leave is being granted so he can "slowly and gradually" start to spend nights and weekends with his partner.

The board wrote that it appears his relationship is positive and is supporting his recovery and reintegration back into society. Additionally, his LTSO is scheduled to expire in March.

That being said, the board noted that if there are violations of his LTSO before that date, it will be pushed back and he will continue to be supervised.