Vancouver police search for high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley, wanted Canada-wide

Vancouver police are searching for high-risk sex offender Randall Hopley after the 58-year-old failed to return to his halfway house Saturday, two days before a scheduled court appearance.

Hopley, who is now wanted Canada-wide, was last seen around 3 p.m. Saturday, according to a news release.

He is described as being five feet nine inches tall and 176 pounds with brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes. He was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants and black hat.

Officials say Hopley has a history of assault and sexual assault, and committed three offences of a sexual nature against children in the past. 

B.C. court records show Hopley was charged with two counts of breaching his long-term supervision order in January, and was set to appear in provincial court in Vancouver on Monday.

Officers are asking anyone who has seen Hopley, or has information on his whereabouts, to call 911 immediately.

Hopley served a total of six years in prison for abducting a three-year-old in the middle of the night from his home in Sparwood, B.C., in 2011. He returned the boy to his home four days later after holding him in an abandoned cabin.  

The 58-year-old was released under a 10-year supervision order in November 2018, at which time Vancouver police issued a public warning that he still posed a risk of significant harm to young boys.

The most recent charges against Hopley stem from an incident last November, according to B.C. court records.

The National Parole Board said in January that the man violated his conditions after allegedly being caught using a computer at a public library, less than a metre away from a group of children.

At the time, the parole board recommended charges against Hopley and said a long-term supervision order was needed because he is at high risk to reoffend.

Calls for parole, bail reform

In a news conference on Sunday, B.C. Premier David Eby said he was "deeply disturbed" to learn that Hopley was at large, and criticized the parole board for not placing sufficient safeguards on the man.

"It's hard to underline the importance of ensuring the safety of our kids," he said in response to a question from CBC News, adding that he hoped that Canada's Senate would quickly pass a federal bail reform bill that would restrict violent offenders' movements.

"It is unacceptable that they [the Senate] are sitting on this bill, because it is compromising the safety of British Columbians."

A spokesperson for the parole board said the national body was not responsible for the conditions of the long-term supervision order placed on Hopley — and that the responsibility lies instead with the Correctional Services of Canada. Hopley was released with those conditions after serving his full sentence, and not paroled, according to the spokesperson.

"If an offender breaches a condition of their long-term supervision, or to prevent a breach of condition or to protect society, CSC may suspend their release and the offender may be returned to custody," the spokesperson said in an email.

Kash Heed, a former West Vancouver police chief and B.C. solicitor general, says while many people deserve a chance at rehabilitation, all levels of government need to increase safeguards for high-risk offenders like Hopley.

He says people who are accused of violating long-term supervision agreements should have ankle monitors and GPS trackers in their phones.

According to Heed, parole conditions should mandate treatment and rehabilitation programming for sexual offenders who declined it in custody, like Hopley did.

"Maybe these are the individuals, given the crimes they've committed, who need to be thrown in jail and the key thrown away in order for them to certainly protect not only themselves, but more importantly, that we protect society," he said.

Balancing reintegration and safety

Mason Shell, a registered clinical therapist and executive director for the B.C. Society for Male Survivors of Sexual Abuse, says the news of the search may hit other survivors of abuse hard.

"A situation like this certainly has the potential to reignite or exacerbate the effects of trauma in other childhood abuse survivors," he wrote in a message to CBC News.

Vancouver-based criminal defence lawyer Guillaume Garih says long-term supervision orders are the most stringent conditions release conditions possible, and judges grant them with advice from medical experts.

"[Hopley] was found to be someone who should be given a chance to reintegrate, under very strict supervision, into society," said the lawyer, who practices at Lower Mainland Law. "Unfortunately it seems he wasted that chance."

Garih says Hopley risks significant jail time violating the order, but his disappearance doesn't necessarily mean giving him or others the opportunity to rehabilitate was the wrong decision.

"I think everybody is disappointed when something like this happens, but does it necessarily mean that the system needs to be changed? I don't think so," said Garih. "I think that we should try as Canadians to reintegrate individuals — even individuals who have done terrible things."

Support is available for anyone who has been sexually assaulted. You can access crisis lines and local support services through this Government of Canada website or the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.