Latest news with #CorrectionalService
CTV News
19-07-2025
- CTV News
Investigation underway after inmate dies in federal custody in Saskatoon
The Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) says it's investigating after a 44-year-old inmate died at the Regional Psychiatric Centre. According to CSC, Mary Ellen Young died on Friday, July 18 while in custody of apparent natural causes. At the time of death, Young was serving an indeterminate sentence that began on December 6, 2011. The CSC says it has notified the inmate's next of kin and will review the circumstances surrounding the death, as per standard procedure. The police and coroner have also been notified, in line with CSC policy.
Daily Mail
07-07-2025
- Daily Mail
Serial killer who murdered '49' women met excruciating and gory end at hands of fellow inmate
Notorious Canadian serial killer Robert Pickton, who once bragged about murdering nearly 50 women, met an excruciating and gory end at the hands of a fellow inmate while behind bars. An investigation into the 2024 death of the 74-year-old murderer found he was bludgeoned and impaled with a broken broomstick. Pickton had been attacked in the common room of the Port-Cartier Institution, a maximum-security prison in Quebec, on May 19 last year. He died in hospital days later on May 31. He was serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder over crime spree in the late 1990s and early 2000s, in which he fed female victims to animals on his Vancouver pig farm. The n ewly released investigation by the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) has shed disturbing light on the savage attack and the 'systemic failures' that may have allowed it to happen. Pickton was suddenly assaulted by another inmate at about 5:16pm while inmates were receiving medication inside the unit's common area, according to the report. The inmate was allegedly identified as Martin Charest. Guards quickly rushed in and stopped the attack but just two minutes later, Charest reportedly attacked again, this time with more force. 'The aggressor then grabbed a broomstick, broke the handle, and thrust it into the face of Mr. Pickton,' the CSC report states. The 74-year-old murderer died in a hospital on May 31 after being attacked in the common room of the Port-Cartier Institution, a maximum-security prison in Quebec, on May 19 (Accused serial killer Robert 'Willie' Pickton is shown in an artist drawing from a tape recording played in a New Westminster, B.C. court, February 5, 2007) Officers again intervened and allegedly subdued Charest before escorting him to a secure unit. Nonetheless, Pickton was left bloodied and severely injured. He was then airlifted to a nearby hospital and held in the ICU for nearly two weeks before succumbing to his injuries. No criminal charges have yet been filed in connection to his death. The report also exposed troubling security lapses, including the fact that inmates had open access to cleaning tools like brooms and mops, which could be used as deadly weapons. 'There were no functional locking cabinets… nor was there an inventory of these items at the time of the incident,' the report states. Officials say the issue has since been addressed. An independent observer tasked with overseeing the CSC's internal probe praised the investigators as 'meticulous' and 'professional.' But they also criticized the post-incident reporting as lacking though not enough to derail the investigation. Pickton became one of Canada's most notorious killers. He was a pig farmer from Port Coquitlam, British Columbia, who lured vulnerable women from Vancouver's Downtown Eastside to his farm, where he raped, tortured, and butchered them. Many were Indigenous and living in poverty. Their remains, or whatever was left of their DNA, were later discovered scattered across the property. Pickton was convicted of six counts of second-degree murder and sentenced to life in prison in 2007, with the maximum parole ineligibility period of 25 years, after being charged with the murders of 26 women. He was only found guilty of six of the charges with cops claiming it was due to the massive scope and cost of the initial trial, which enraged victims' families and sparked public outcry. He was found guilty of murdering Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Andrea Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Mona Wilson and Brenda Ann Wolfe. A public inquiry later slammed police and government agencies for a 'colossal failure' in responding to the disappearance of marginalized women. 'The missing and murdered women were forsaken by society at large and then again by the police,' the inquiry concluded. 'The story… is a tragedy of epic proportions.' Police began searching the Pickton farm in the Vancouver suburb of Port Coquitlam more than 22 years ago in what would be a years-long investigation into the disappearances of dozens of sex workers and drug addicts from Vancouver's seediest streets. The remains or DNA of 33 women were found on the farm. Pickton once bragged to an undercover police officer that he killed a total of 49 women. During his trial, prosecution witness Andrew Bellwood said Pickton told him how he strangled his victims and fed their remains to his pigs. Health officials once issued a tainted meat advisory to neighbors who might have bought pork from Pickton's farm, concerned the meat might have contained human remains. Cynthia Cardinal, whose sister Georgina Papin was murdered by Pickton, said Pickton's death means she can finally move on from her sister's murder. 'This is gonna bring healing for, I won't say all families, I'll just say most of the families,' she said. 'I'm like wow, finally. I can actually move on and heal and I can put this behind me.' Vancouver police were criticized for not taking the cases seriously because many of the missing were sex workers or drug users. Canada's correctional service said it was conducting an investigation into the attack on Pickton. 'The investigation will examine all of the facts and circumstances surrounding the assault, including whether policies and protocols were followed,' the service said. 'We are mindful that this offender's case has had a devastating impact on communities in British Columbia and across the country, including indigenous peoples, victims and their families. Our thoughts are with them.'
CTV News
06-07-2025
- CTV News
Fatal prison assault on serial killer Robert Pickton was carried out with broken-off broom handle: report
Additional details about the fatal prison assault on notorious B.C. serial killer Robert Pickton have been released by the Correctional Service of Canada. Pickton was 74 and had been serving a life sentence for six counts of second-degree murder since 2007 when he was attacked by another inmate at the maximum-security Port Cartier Institution in Quebec on May 19, 2024. He was air-lifted to hospital and died in the intensive care unit 12 days later. On Friday, the Correctional Service of Canada released the findings of a Board of Investigation appointed to probe the circumstances of the fatal assault. Its findings were based on staff interviews, audio and video recordings from the prison, and a review of the institution's policies. At 5:16 p.m. Pickton was assaulted by another inmate in the common room while medication was being distributed on his unit, according to the report. 'When the assault started, the Correctional Officer (CO) assigned to the control post requested the assistance of other COs, who quickly intervened and were able to convince the aggressor to stop the assault,' it reads. But two minutes later, Pickton was attacked again. 'The aggressor then grabbed a broomstick, broke the handle, and thrust it into the face of Mr. Pickton. Correctional Officers again intervened, managed to gain his compliance and handcuffed the aggressor, then escorted him to the Structured Intervention Unit,' the report continued. No criminal charges have been laid in Pickton's death. 'Mr. Pickton's crimes received extensive media coverage across the country and around the world,' the report said, adding that Pickton initially faced an additional 20 murder charges that were stayed in 2010. His victims were all women, many of whom were vulnerable, Indigenous, and living on Vancouver's Downtown Eastside. The remains and DNA of 33 women were found during a search of Pickton's pig farm in Port Coquitlam, B.C., though the killer had bragged about murdering a total of 49. Pickton's confirmed victims were Sereena Abotsway, Marnie Frey, Andrea Joesbury, Georgina Papin, Mona Wilson and Brenda Ann Wolfe. The board was tasked with looking at the 'facts and circumstances' leading up to Pickton's death as well as 'examining whether policies and protocols were followed, and identifying any recommendations or corrective measures needed.' One of the issues identified was access to cleaning supplies, like brooms and mops, which could be used as weapons. 'Inmates had free access to cleaning items and that there were no functional locking cabinets that could be used to store the brooms or mops on the range, nor was there an inventory of these items at the time of the incident,' the report found. The institution has since taken steps to remedy this issue, according to the report. An independent observer, tasked with overseeing the CSC investigation, said the three-person panel did its work in a 'meticulous, highly professional and impartial' manner. However, in a supplemental report the observer found the post-incident reports 'lacked rigour.' 'This shortcoming did not hinder the investigation,' the report said. 'However, more rigorous record-keeping facilitates the (board of investigation's) job and ensures greater transparency when reconstructing the facts, especially following an incident that has led to the death of an individual.' News of Pickton's death provoked swift reaction from B.C. politicians and advocates, including Premier David Eby. 'Robert Pickton preyed on the most vulnerable people in our society,' Eby said when the serial killer's death was confirmed. 'These women were cast aside as less than equal, and less than worthy because of who they were. We are committed to recognizing the dignity of every person to avoid something like this happening ever again. Good riddance.' Families of women believed to have been murdered by Pickton said their quest for justice would not end with his death. They pledged to continue to push for the preservation of evidence collected from the pig farm, to continue pursuing civil remedies, and to keep fighting to bring any potential accomplices before the courts. With files from CTV News Vancouver's Todd Coyne
CTV News
26-06-2025
- CTV News
Inmate caught after escaping from Stony Mountain Institution
Jason David Vanwyck is pictured in this supplied image. (Source: Correctional Service of Canada) An inmate who escaped from the minimum-security unit at Stony Mountain Institution has been found. On Thursday, the Correctional Service of Canada announced the Winnipeg Police Service apprehended Jason Vanwyck. CTV News previously reported that staff members at Stony Mountain Institution discovered Vanwyck's absence on Monday morning. Vanwyck is currently serving a two-year, 25-day sentence for break-and-enter, assault, and theft-related convictions.
CBC
25-06-2025
- CBC
Man who broke brother's jaw declared long-term offender, released from custody
A 57-year-old Nova Scotia man who fractured his brother's jaw and skull during an attack and has a history of brutally sexually assaulting women was released from custody last month and ordered to live in a halfway house after being sentenced as a long-term offender. The Parole Board of Canada said by law it can't reveal the current location of Scott David Desrosiers. But a board decision issued last week said he must return to a halfway house nightly, can't use drugs or alcohol, and must report all intimate relationships with women. In May, Desrosiers was handed a 6½-year prison sentence in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Bridgewater, N.S., for aggravated assault, but was released shortly after due to credit he was given for time spent in pretrial custody since his arrest more than four years ago. He is bound by a 10-year supervision order imposed by Justice Diane Rowe, who concluded in a ruling released this week that Desrosiers "has exhibited a pattern of violence since 1989, demonstrating a persistent and enduring behavioural challenge." Evidence at sentencing, according to the ruling, included testimony from a Correctional Service of Canada official about how a plan would be developed to control Desrosiers's risk in the community. "It appears to the Court that there is a prospect for eventual control of the risk to the public posed by Mr. Desrosiers, but such control is to be exercised in a very controlled and cautiously implemented manner," Rowe said. "It will require a very high degree of ongoing supervision by Corrections." History of violence In 1999, Desrosiers was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually torturing a woman he knew. Ten years earlier, he tied up and sexually assaulted a 68-year-old woman. He was handed seven years in prison. Following Desrosiers's release from a community correctional facility in Dartmouth, N.S., on Christmas Eve 2019, RCMP issued a public warning that he was living in Queens County in the province's southwest. Desrosiers had moved in with his mother and brother in South Brookfield, N.S. About a year later, he punched his brother — who was in an argument with his mother — several times in the head, injuring him so badly that two metal plates had to be implanted in his jaw. Desrosiers pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and the Crown sought to have him sentenced as a long-term offender. He agreed he met the criteria, although his lawyers argued for a period of six years of supervision, not the 10 years sought by the prosecution and ordered by the judge. Long-term offender designation A long-term offender designation means a person is subject to supervision by the Correctional Service of Canada after the end of their prison sentence. A judge can designate a person a long-term offender if the prison sentence is more than two years, they are a substantial risk to reoffend, and there is "a reasonable possibility of eventual control of the risk in the community." The parole board can order the person to live under certain conditions, according to a spokesperson. The person can be taken back into custody if they breach those conditions, with any subsequent release determined by corrections officials or the parole board.
