Latest news with #AlbertdeVilliers
Global News
04-06-2025
- Health
- Global News
Parole granted for former health official in B.C. and Alberta who sexually assaulted boy
The former chief medical health officer for British Columbia's Interior Health Authority has been granted full parole from a sentence for sexually assaulting a boy. Albert de Villiers served less than two years of a 5-1/2-year prison sentence after being convicted in 2023 of sexual interference of the boy in Grand Prairie, Alta. The Parole Board of Canada says in a decision issued in April that de Villiers repeatedly sexually touched the young male between 2018 and 2021, sharing pornographic videos to 'groom' the victim. The board's ruling says de Villiers was granted day parole in October last year, and has since begun rebuilding his relationship with his wife and sons, working with his wife's online business, the name of which is redacted from the decision. The board says de Villiers, a top public health official in northern Alberta before his move to B.C. in 2020, has a supportive network of family, friends and 'faith community,' which included continuing sessions with his rabbi. Story continues below advertisement The decision says de Villiers had no issues while behind bars, and assessments determined him a very low risk to reoffend. 1:27 Former IH top doctor convicted of sexual assault His parole conditions prohibit him from accessing pornographic materials, and from being in locations where people under 16 are likely to be. Get breaking National news For news impacting Canada and around the world, sign up for breaking news alerts delivered directly to you when they happen. Sign up for breaking National newsletter Sign Up By providing your email address, you have read and agree to Global News' Terms and Conditions and Privacy Policy The board ruled that de Villiers caused 'serious harm' to the victim. 'The impacts on the victim and your betrayal of trust and authority on him and his family cannot be overstated,' the decision says. 'With that said, you have no prior criminal history and have otherwise lived a pro-social life with positive family and a good reputation in the community.' The board's ruling says de Villiers had no criminal history before his 2021 arrest, but he faced a separate charge of sexual assault in February 2023 that was later stayed and he was placed under a peace bond. Story continues below advertisement Parole board decisions are not posted publicly at the time they are issued. The ruling was provided to The Canadian Press upon request.
CBC
03-06-2025
- Health
- CBC
Full parole granted to Interior Health's former top doctor convicted of sexually abusing child
Social Sharing WARNING: This article contains references to sexual abuse and may affect those who have experienced abuse or know someone affected by it. Albert de Villiers, the former chief medical officer of Interior Health, who was found guilty of sexual interference against a young child in Alberta, has been granted full parole. De Villiers was found guilty in Grande Prairie, Alta., in February 2023 of repeated sexual offences against a young boy over a two-year period between 2018 and 2020. The judge sentenced him to five and a half years in prison. Prior to his arrest in 2021, de Villiers worked in Kelowna, B.C., as the top doctor for Interior Health, a position he assumed in August 2020. Before working in public health in British Columbia, de Villiers was a medical health officer for Alberta's north zone for 16 years. A recent Parole Board of Canada decision said de Villiers does not pose an undue risk to society and noted he has taken his day parole conditions seriously, according to a decision dated April 6. De Villiers was assessed as a minimum-security offender and has been on day parole at a halfway house since Oct. 16, 2024. He was supervised with no reported concerns, according to the decision. "You have spent the majority of your time rebuilding your relationship with your wife and sons," the decision states. "You were approved [for] travel permits to spend time with family and engage in pro-social recreational activities like hiking and spending time in nature." The board said de Villiers has confirmed a plan for full parole, including the support of his family, employment and rabbi. It said De Villiers has secured employment working with his wife on an online business, the name of which was redacted in the decision. Board members said there are no reported concerns by local RCMP. The decision states a psychologist finds de Villiers's risk to reoffend "generally is very low, violently is low and and sexually is average." "It was noted that if you do not have unsupervised access to children, your risk would be even lower." De Villiers is not allowed to contact the victim, the victim's family members, or any male children under the age of 16 unless approved by his parole supervisor. De Villiers is also not allowed to own more than one phone or SIM card without permission. He must give unlocked access to his parole supervisor if asked to allow monitoring of his photos, text messages, call logs and emails. He cannot purchase or access any type of pornography or sexually explicit material, and he cannot go near areas where children gather, such as daycares, grade schools, parks or playgrounds. But the board said it did not "lose sight" of the gravity of de Villiers's offence. It noted several aggravating factors in de Villiers's sentencing included "the young age of the victim, the significant harm that was reported by the victim and his parents to have occurred. You were in a position of trust, the duration and frequency of sexual contact, that grooming behaviour occurred, and the high degree of sexual interference that took place during the sexual contact." "The impacts on the victim and your betrayal of trust and authority on him and his family can not be overstated," the board said in its decision.
CBC
23-05-2025
- Health
- CBC
Former Interior Health top doctor officially loses medical licence after sex crimes conviction
Social Sharing WARNING: This article contains references to sexual abuse and may affect those who have experienced abuse or know someone affected by it. The former chief medical health officer for B.C.'s Interior Health Authority has officially lost his licence to practise medicine after he was convicted two years ago of sexually interfering with a child in Alberta. Albert de Villiers was found guilty in Grand Prairie, Alta., in February 2023 of repeated sexual offences against a young boy over a two-year period in 2018 and 2020. The judge sentenced him to five and a half years in prison. Prior to his arrest in 2021, de Villiers worked in Kelowna, B.C., as the top doctor for Interior Health, a position he assumed in August 2020. Before working in public health in British Columbia, de Villiers was a medical officer of health for Alberta's north zone for 16 years. Apart from the 2023 conviction, De Villiers was also charged in a separate case in Alberta of one count each of voyeurism, sexual touching and making sexually explicit materials available to a child. The charges were withdrawn in September 2023, and a peace bond was issued due to challenges with the case, according to Alberta's Crown Prosecution Service. 'Voluntarily resign and surrender his licence' Now, more than two years after his conviction, de Villiers has officially lost his licence to practise medicine. On Tuesday, the College of Physicians and Surgeons of BC (CPSBC) released a public notice stating de Villiers agreed "to voluntarily resign and surrender his licence as a registrant of CPSBC," effective March 1, 2023. "The Inquiry Committee concluded that Dr. De Villiers's conduct was egregious and determined that his irrevocable commitment to resign as a registrant of CPSBC and to never reapply for registration in British Columbia or any other jurisdictions was appropriate in the circumstances," the college said in the public notice. The CPSBC said the inquiry committee and de Villiers agreed to resolve all matters in a consent agreement process with an effective date listed as May 2, 2025. CBC News has asked the CPSBC for an explanation on the timing of the public notice and its release more than two years after both de Villiers' criminal conviction and his reported agreement to surrender his medical licence, but the college has not yet responded. 'Moral blameworthiness is high' During his sentencing hearing in June 2023, Court of King's Bench Justice Shaina Leonard told the court de Villiers groomed a seven-year-old Grand Prairie boy through a chain of events from sleepovers to private phone calls, and sexually abused the boy on five to eight occasions over two years. "The offender's moral blameworthiness is high," Leonard said during the hearing. "The offender exploited the victim's vulnerability by taking advantage of the offender's position of trust as a trusted friend of the family." Interior Health released de Villiers from his job shortly after his conviction in 2023, but he earned $361,000 from the health authority during the 2021-2022 fiscal year alone, despite being on leave or desk duty for several months while awaiting trial.
