The Ottawa Police Service is warning the public that a designated dangerous offender serving an indeterminate life sentence for a string of violent sexual assaults in Toronto will be living under day parole in the nation’s capital.
Christopher Roulston, 46, was released from prison on June 3 to live in an Ottawa community-based facility under structured supervision, police said in a public advisory.
“Roulston poses a significant risk to public safety, particularly to women, given his history of violent stranger sexual assaults and the high risk that he will re-offend or breach his conditions,” city police said in the notice.
Roulston is serving an indeterminate life sentence after being designated a dangerous offender due to his conviction on three counts of sexual assault with a weapon and uttering threats. Police said the assaults occurred in Toronto in 2002.
An indeterminate life sentence is a prison term with no fixed end date. Instead of a fixed sentence, the offender is incarcerated for their entire natural life, but can apply for parole after a legally determined minimum period.
Roulston will be under the supervision of Corrections Canada and is being monitored by the high-risk offender management unit of the Ottawa Police Service while staying at the community facility.
He is subject to a number of conditions, including a ban on contacting the victims of his offences and immediately disclosing all relationships and friendships with women, as well as any alterations in the status of those relationships or friendships.
Roulston is also subject to a curfew, is prohibited from associating with known criminals, and faces restrictions regarding employment, as well as the use of alcohol and drugs.
Anyone who becomes aware of a potential breach of Roulston’s conditions should not approach him and should instead notify the authorities or contact Crime Stoppers, police said.
The public advisory comes as a public website designed to offer information about high-risk offenders is in the works for Ontario.
Legislation was put forward last month by Solicitor General Michael Kerzner and Attorney General Doug Downey to allow the OPP commissioner to publish information on offenders whenever a police chief in the province issues a community notification.
The website will act as a central hub for information on police alerts. The province has said the site is expected to launch next spring.
The province has yet to provide specific information concerning the length of time offender profiles will be active or the exact biographical and criminal data that will be published.
The Canadian Press contributed to this report.
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