WARNING: This article contains descriptions of sexual assault that may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
Ottawa police are warning residents about a man with a history of sexual violence against strangers who has been released into a day parole program in the city.
Christopher Roulston, 46, is a designated dangerous offender serving a life sentence for three violent sexual assaults in Toronto in 2002. He was convicted of three counts of sexual assault with a weapon and uttering threats.
Roulston was released last Wednesday into an Ottawa facility where he will be on day parole and under the watch of Ottawa police and Correctional Service Canada. He must abide by a curfew and other conditions including not contacting his victims and abstaining from alcohol.
“The High-Risk Offender Management Unit believes Roulston poses a significant risk to public safety, particularly to women, given his history of violent stranger sexual assaults and the high risk that he will re-offend or breach his conditions,” police said June 3 in a public safety notice announcing Roulston’s release.
Roulston was convicted in 2003 for assaulting his female roommate, and as a result of providing his DNA three unsolved sexual assaults were linked to him.
According to court records, the violence included punching, slapping, choking and dragging women along the ground. He used a knife in two of the assaults and claimed to have a gun in the third.
His lengthy criminal history includes convictions for assault with a weapon, carrying a concealed weapon and uttering threats.
‘Dismal’ history of community supervision
Parole documents describe Roulston’s history of community supervision as “dismal,” and say his victims suffered physical, psychological and emotional trauma.
“[Roulston] almost always reoffended while on probation and repeatedly failed to abide by [his] imposed weapons prohibitions,” according to the documents.
They also reveal that a psychologist was “reluctant” to support day parole for Roulston, who has been incarcerated since he was 23 and has spent half his life in prison.
The documents show Roulston has “demonstrated positive institutional adjustment” despite his indeterminate sentence and dangerous offender status, but they also detail disciplinary problems including fighting with other inmates and uttering threats.
According to his parole documents, Roulston has participated in sex offender programming, has accepted full responsibility for his actions and has expressed remorse.
“It is the Board’s opinion that you will not, by reoffending, present an undue risk to society if released on parole and that your release will contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,” according to the April 15 decision.
Ottawa police are asking anyone who becomes aware of any potential breaches of Roulston’s conditions should contact their high-risk offender management unit, or dial 911 if it’s an emergency.
The dangerous offender designation is reserved for Canada’s most violent criminals and sexual predators.
Crown attorneys can seek the designation during sentencing and must show that there’s high risk that an inmate will commit violent offences in the future.
If you’re in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. For support in your area, you can look for crisis lines and local services via the Ending Sexual Violence Association of Canada database.