High-risk sex offender granted leave privileges

A child sex offender considered a high risk for re-offending, who Saint John and Halifax police both issued alerts about, has now been granted leave privileges.

Harvey Venus, 39, a designated dangerous offender, has a lengthy criminal history, including sexual assault, assault causing bodily harm, assault, and sexual interference involving a girl under the age of 16.

He inappropriately touched the victim and took photos of her, while reportedly using an alias due to his sexual offence history, according to Parole Board of Canada documents.

He's serving a nine-month, 31-day sentence at a community correctional centre in Halifax for breaching an eight-year long-term supervision order just three months after being released to a community correctional centre in Saint John in 2022.

He failed to disclose he started dating a woman with a child, lied to her about his criminal history, and was spending time alone with the child, contrary to the terms of his long-term supervision order — an order imposed by a judge during sentencing to extend the length of time the Correctional Service of Canada supervises an offender in the community beyond the completion of their regular sentence.

A lone board member reviewed Venus's case earlier this month to consider recommendations from the Correctional Service of Canada regarding the special conditions related to his long-term supervision order. It was recommended that the requirement to live at a community correction centre be extended by 365 days and that leave privileges be authorized. 

The board member agreed.

"The Board believes that, in the absence of a condition requiring you to reside at a [community-based facility], you will present an undue risk to society by committing, before the expiration of your sentence … an offence set out in Schedule 1" of the Criminal Code, which includes a number of offences involving children, or an offence related to a criminal organization, the decision states.

Although Venus, a second-time federal offender, has been in the Halifax community for about nine months "without any negative incidents and appear[s] to be making progress," he has "suffered from deviant sexual preferences for sexual contact with prepubescent and pubescent individuals" and a "fetishistic disorder towards female undergarments."

"You are assessed to be a very high risk for further sexual offending and despite extensive psychological sex offender treatment you are 'unable to apply the skills and knowledge.'"

History of breaches

Venus also has a history of breaches during community supervision and "a poor history of conditional release," the decision notes.

His statutory release on his first federal sentence was revoked after he admitted to meeting a 14-year-old girl and purchasing rolling papers for her so she could smoke drugs.

His statutory release in Halifax in February 2024 was revoked because he breached his conditions within a month. Officials found sexually explicit movies in his room, learned he failed to disclose a relationship with a female, and discovered he had accessed the internet via a cellphone, according to parole documents

Venus was described at the time as "deceptive" and "conniving." On April 18, 2024, he was released to a Halifax community correctional centre again.

Has job, romantic relationship

Since then, Venus has been working, started a new "romantic relationship," which he immediately disclosed to his parole officer, and has been making efforts to rebuild relationships with his family, according to the decision.

He has respected the community correctional centre's rules and actively participates in his correctional plan, it says. He has a "good relationship" with staff and fellow residents.

There have been "a few incidents" of his electronic monitoring picking up him being in "exclusion areas," but they were all investigated and "legitimate reasons for [his] lapse were verified."

Leave privileges will help with reintegration

Having leave privileges now will allow Venus "an opportunity to reconnect with community and pro-social peers in a controlled manner so as not to jeopardize public safety," the board member said.

Leave privileges will also give Venus "an opportunity to build credibility" with his case management team and assist his gradual reintegration into the community.

His reintegration potential is assessed as "medium," according to the documents.

No details about the conditions of Venus's leave privileges are provided, but the decision suggests they will be implemented "gradually and methodically."

He will continue to live at a halfway house for at least another year.

Was abused as a child

According to parole documents, Venus was sexually and physically abused as a child. He left school in Grade 10 after his then-girlfriend became pregnant so he could get a job to support them.

His criminal activity, which also includes breaking and entering with intent, theft under $5,000 and fraud, began at an early age.

He has displayed "significant difficulties" thinking of the consequences and antecedents of his behaviour and is "impulsive" in his offending, the documents state.

Venus has completed the Sex Offender Primer Program, the Sex Offender High Intensity program, the Sex Offender Maintenance Program and the Community Maintenance Program – Sex Offender program.

The authors of his program performance reports last year and in 2023 believe his risk factors are unlikely to change until he has demonstrated a "significant period of stability in the community."

His Criminal Index Score is rated as 21. "Research found that 30 [per cent] of men federal offenders in this category (range: 18-21) committed an offence within three years of release."

His long-term supervision order expires in December 2030.