'Balaclava rapist' Larry Takahashi gets full parole more than 40 years after attacks
CTV
A serial sex offender known as the "balaclava rapist" for attacking 23 women in Edmonton more than 40 years ago has been granted full parole while he continues to serve three concurrent life sentences.
A serial sex offender known as the "balaclava rapist" for attacking 23 women in Edmonton more than 40 years ago has been granted full parole while he continues to serve three concurrent life sentences.
The Parole Board of Canada says 71-year-old Larry Takahashi has demonstrated prolonged stability at the home where he lives and he is “highly motivated to reintegrate safely back into society.”
He gained his nickname for wearing a ski mask during a series of attacks on women over several years in Edmonton before his arrest in 1983, which led to a guilty plea on 14 charges.
The board’s decision, made in Abbotsford, B.C., on June 25 but released to the media Monday, says Takahashi’s psychological assessment concludes his risk to reoffend either sexually or violently is “relatively low or well below average.”
It says that he has completed all recommended prison and community programs, has met regularly with a psychologist and remains open to counselling, if recommended.
His plan for full parole includes living in a home he has rented in a location not disclosed in the decision, and that he is able to support himself financially.
It says Takahashi's case management team is of the opinion that he no longer needs the structure of a community residential facility after being granted day parole in 2016.
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