Violent sex offender reaches statutory release

A man with a history of convictions for violent sexual offences is being released from prison again, just months after the Parole Board of Canada said there was no program that could safely handle him.

Gerald Edmund Pike, 57, is being released to a halfway house under strict conditions. It is a statutory release, meaning Pike is nearing the end of his sentence and cannot legally be held in prison any longer.

He is currently serving a sentence of nearly four months, which was tacked on to a long-term supervision order after he was convicted of breaching some of his prior release conditions. 

According to a report from the parole board, Pike breached his conditions by slipping away from the facility where he was staying and spending the night with a vulnerable woman.

Pike committed most of his offences in the St. John's area and spent 6½ years in prison before being released in 2021 in the Halifax area on a long-term supervision order.

He was considered a high risk to reoffend at the time of his release, prompting Halifax Regional Police to issue a warning to the community.

Just a couple of months after his release, Pike was taken back into custody, accused of breaching his supervision order. He was eventually released again, only to be taken back into custody in May of last year.

Three months later, Pike was back at a halfway house. This time, he lasted until Dec. 10, 2023, when he dropped out of sight for a day and was considered unlawfully at large. Pike was returned to the halfway house a couple of days later, but he only lasted a couple of weeks. On New Year's Eve, his supervision order was again suspended because he was refusing to take medication needed to control his sexual urges.

While Pike must be released, the parole board has reservations.

"According to file information, your behaviour has deteriorated and has been challenging to manage as proven by your last suspension," the board wrote in a decision dated Tuesday of this week.

"Your CMT [case management team] have expressed concern about your comments of you not wanting to take your medication as well as being more vocal about noticing females."

His conditions at the halfway house include that he not consume alcohol or go anywhere alcohol is sold. He is to have no contact with his victims or any children under 18. He must report all relationships, both sexual and non-sexual, to his parole officer. He is required to take his medication and he is not permitted to gamble.