Killer Paul Bernardo making third attempt to be granted parole

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Paul Bernardo, one of Canada’s most notorious criminals, is appearing before the Parole Board of Canada to make his third attempt at a release on Tuesday morning.

Bernardo is serving an indefinite sentence for the abductions and murders of 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy, of Burlington, Ont., in 1991 and 15-year-old Kristen French, of St. Catharines, Ont., in 1992. He also admitted to crimes he was not convicted of and conceded he sexually assaulted about 20 girls and women between the ages of 14 and 23, between 1987 and 1992, and that he sexually assaulted and caused the death of his former wife Karla Homolka’s sister, Tammy, while she was drugged.

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His crimes were committed in Ontario over a five-year span and he has served most of his sentence in Ontario, but he was transferred last year to a penitentiary in Quebec, the medium-security Macaza Institution, 170 kilometres north of Montreal. The transfer caused an uproar and the commissioner of Corrections Canada was called before a House of Commons public safety committee in November 2023 to explain why it happened.

According to the CBC, Debbie Mahaffy — the mother of Leslie Mahaffy — will be at the penitentiary in person to deliver a statement to the board. Kristen French’s mother Donna is expected to deliver a statement remotely through a videoconference.

“We’re not here to retry you,” said Steven Dubreuil as the hearing began. He is the parole board member who will lead the hearing.

Dubreuil also said the board will have four decisions to make on Tuesday, including whether Bernardo is ready for day or full parole. Bernardo is also seeking permission to have access to unescorted leaves, a chance to leave the penitentiary for a couple of days.

Bernardo will be represented by lawyer Bianka Savard-Lafrenière during the hearing.

pcherry@postmedia.com

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