Warrant issued for convicted sex offender day after Vancouver police warned public of his release

A Canada-wide arrest warrant has been issued for a high-risk sex offender who failed to return to his Vancouver halfway house, just one day after police publicly warned residents about his release.

Hayden McCorriston, 30, was convicted of sexually assaulting multiple women during a violent, four-day spree in Burnaby and Vancouver in 2022.

"He was involved in assaults on women that were of a sexual nature, and they include gropings, indecent exposure in a public place, and other violent and unprovoked incidents against a number of strangers," Vancouver Police Department spokesperson Sgt. Steve Addison told CBC News on Thursday. 

He said drugs and alcohol were factors at the time of the offences.

McCorriston was sentenced to three years and two months in prison. He has now served two-thirds of his sentence. 

Addison said the man obtained a statutory release and is supposed to serve the remainder of his sentence in the community.

"That's a decision of the Correctional Service of Canada and that's the system under which we all live," Addison said. "He's getting a chance to live in the community and serve out the remainder of his sentence."

McCorriston was placed at a halfway house on Homer Street in Downtown Vancouver under a set of strict release conditions, including a nightly curfew and restrictions on alcohol, drugs, and contact with women.

On Thursday, Vancouver police publicly warned the community about his release — a move that officials say is reserved only for individuals considered a serious threat.

"We reserve warnings like these for the most serious offenders, the most high risk, when we legitimately believe there's a risk to the public," Addison said.

But in a statement Friday afternoon, police said McCorriston had failed to return to the halfway house and was last seen leaving the building at approximately 10:25 a.m.

"We believe he has violated the conditions of his release and has taken steps to avoid being found," Addison confirmed to CBC News.

McCorriston is described as being about five feet 11 inches tall, with a slim build and a shaved head. He was last seen wearing a blue surgical mask, a black hat, a black long-sleeve shirt, dark blue or black pants, and black shoes with white soles.