Sexual predator declared dangerous offender

William Chandler Shrubsall has been declared a dangerous offender by the Nova Scotia Supreme Court, meaning he will spend an indefinite period in prison.

The court handed Shrubsall his sentence for crimes against three women in Nova Scotia.

Shrubsall has a long history of violent sexual deviance. He killed his mother with a bat when he was a teenager in Niagara Falls, New York. He later faked his own death to dodge a U.S. sentence for sexual assault.

Shrubsall was impassive as Justice Felix Cacchione read his decision. He sat quietly between two bailiffs, his shoulders slightly hunched under a navy blue blazer.

The judge called Shrubsall "an extremely violent sexual deviant," lacking in conscience and empathy for his victims. He said hope for successful treatment was speculative at best.

Cacchione spoke directly to Shrubsall's victims, saying an indefinite prison term was the best protection the courts could offer.

Prosecutor Rob Fetterly said he was satisfied with the ruling. "I'm really pleased that the judge has condemned in the strongest terms the actions of Mr. Shrubsall, and I think that's appreciated by all involved."

As a dangerous offender, Shrubsall's sentence will face regular reviews. But odds are slim he'll ever be released. Only 12 of Canada's nearly 300 dangerous offenders have ever been let out of jail.

If Shrubsall were to ever leave Canada's corrections system, he'll quickly find himself back behind bars. He still faces a sentence for the assault he committed in New York, before he fled to Nova Scotia.