WARNING: This story contains graphic details that could be disturbing to some readers. Discretion is advised.
A 65-year-old man who is serving a life sentence for the first-degree murder and sexual assault of a 14-year-old boy 40 years ago has been granted two more unescorted temporary absences (UTAs) into the community.
It’s a decision Ontario Premier Doug Ford criticized on Tuesday, saying the man should “rot in jail.”
Darren Scott Ray was convicted in 1986 of first-degree murder after he sexually assaulted and then strangled the 14-year-old victim.
According to a decision by the Parole Board of Canada, obtained by Global News, Darren Scott Ray will get two more UTAs, though it’s not yet known when he will take those absences.
The decision, dated Jan. 5, said Ray was granted a 72-hour UTA earlier in March to visit a community-based residential facility to “familiarize yourself with the facility, the staff, and the community.”
Durham Regional Police issued a community safety alert as a result of Ray’s release. It said it was warning the public about a high-risk offender who has been released into the community, noting he had a “history of serious criminal convictions including first-degree murder.”
Ray is described as five feet nine inches tall and 199 pounds, with an average build. He wears glasses and is bald.
Following that release, which expired, Ray was taken into custody without incident.
Yet in its decision, the Parole Board stated it had authorized three 72-hour UTAs for administrative reasons to be taken over the span of a 12-month period.
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With Ray having already taken one, that means he could be released two more times this year.
According to the documents, the victim lived in the same neighbourhood as Ray and had run away from home, at which point Ray invited him into his home. There, the Parole Board states the two consumed alcohol and drugs. Ray then restrained the victim and “violently sexually assaulted” the boy before strangling him to death.
“The victim’s body was later found wrapped in a blanket in the garbage room of your (Ray’s) apartment building,” the Parole Board states.
Despite his conviction, the Parole Board stated it deemed Ray’s risk as manageable and that he was “on a pathway to rehabilitation.”
“It is the Board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society during the absences,” the decision reads. “In the Board’s opinion, you also meet the other authorization requirements in that it is desirable for you to be absent from the penitentiary, your behaviour while under sentence does not preclude authorizing the absences, and a structured plan for the absences has been prepared.”
Ford on Tuesday criticized the decision, saying the Parole Board of Canada is “giving people passes.”
“He’s (Ray) free to walk around, 72-hour passes. He should rot in jail,” he said. “Think of this, folks, a 14-year-old boy gets raped and murdered and he (Ray) gets a 72-hour pass. Like what is this country coming to?”
Ford went on to say the Board needs to reverse its decision and urged an overhaul of the system.
Despite its decision, the Parole Board noted Ray was still a “very violent offender.”
“Your index offence profiles you as a very violent offender, with serious issues around sexual deviancy, emotional volatility, impulsivity, poor judgement and self-regulation, and a lack of consequential thinking, all of which justify the ongoing concern about the manageability of your risk,” the Parole Board wrote.
Durham police, in a statement to Global News, said Chief Peter Moreira has formally raised the service’s concerns regarding Ray’s release with the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC). It says he will be meeting with them directly to address public safety considerations.
It went on to say unescorted temporary absences are the responsibility of CSC, but public safety remains the service’s primary concern.
“When an individual is assessed as posing a high risk to public safety, DRPS will issue a public safety advisory to inform and protect our community,” a spokesperson for Durham police wrote in an email.
According to Durham Regional Police in its earlier community alert, Ray must abide by several conditions, including travelling directly to his destination as set out by his permit and reporting to his parole supervisor as directed.
He must remain at all times in Canada within the territorial boundaries set out by his parole supervisor, cannot own, possess or have control of any weapon except as authorized by his supervisor, and obey the law.
Ray also cannot be in the presence of any children, male or female, under the age of 18, unless accompanied by a responsible adult who knows of his criminal history and has been previously approved in writing by his parole supervisor.
Any relationships and friendships with men or women who have parental responsibilities for children under 18 must also be immediately disclosed.
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