Police in British Columbia have issued a Canada-wide warrant after Randall Hopley, a high-risk sex offender, failed to return to his halfway house in Vancouver.
Hopley, 58, was last seen at 3 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 4, according to Vancouver Police. In a news release, police say he has a history of sexual assault, assault, and property crime convictions.
“He has committed three offences of a sexual nature against children in the past,” police said Saturday.
Hopley made international headlines after he abducted a three-year-old boy in southeastern B.C. in 2011, setting off a Canada-wide search for the child, only to return him apparently unharmed four days later.
READ JAN. 2023 STORY: Parole board recommends charge against sex offender Hopley, who abducted B.C. boy
B.C. Premier David Eby says it’s inconceivable that a known sex offender was able to escape supervision.
“I’m certainly, as I imagine all British Columbians are, deeply disturbed to hear about the release of a sex offender who targets children, that he was insufficiently supervised and able to walk away from the halfway house,” said Eby from the Canadian premiers’ meetings in Halifax, N.S.
“I don’t understand why there weren’t sufficient safeguards put in place by the parole board on this individual to prevent this from happening.”
Hopley served his full term for the abduction and was released in October 2018, according to The Canadian Press.
The National Parole Board said in January that the man violated his supervision orders after allegedly being caught using a computer at a public library — less than a metre from a group of children.
At the time, the parole board recommended charges against Hopley and said a long-term supervision order was needed because he was at high risk of reoffending.
“…VPD has released his picture with hopes that someone will recognize him and call 911,” police said in the release.
They say Hopley is 5’9″ tall and 176 lbs. He has brown hair and hazel-coloured eyes and was last seen wearing a black coat, black pants and a black hat.
Vancouver police are asking anyone who sees Hopley or has information on his whereabouts to call 911 immediately.
-with files from The Canadian Press
(Randall Hopley is seen in this picture provided by Vancouver Police.)
Ethan Morneau
