Dangerous sex offender Blanchard seeks new trial

A man serving an indeterminate sentence as a dangerous offender is appealing both his sentence and the convictions in the high-profile Edmonton sexual assault case.

Lance David Blanchard, 60, filed his application Tuesday with the Alberta Court of Appeal.

Court of Queen’s Bench Justice Eric Macklin ruled in March that Blanchard is a dangerous offender who poses a high risk of committing violent and sexual offences if released, and that he constitutes a threat to the public.

The Crown launched the dangerous offender application following Blanchard’s conviction in a brutal 2014 attack on a young Indigenous woman. He was convicted of aggravated sexual assault, aggravated assault, kidnapping, unlawful confinement, possession of a weapon and making a death threat.

According to his Tuesday application, Blanchard is appealing his conviction and sentence on the grounds that the decision was “unreasonable” and that there were errors in law.

If Blanchard is granted a new trial, he indicated he would like it to be by judge and jury.

The way the victim in the case was treated by the criminal justice system prompted public outcry and an independent review. While testifying during the preliminary hearing, the victim was held in custody, shackled while in court, and even transported in the same van as Blanchard on some occasions.

The woman, whose identity remains under a publication ban, died before the case could go to trial.

In his sentencing decision, Macklin outlined Blanchard’s criminal history, beginning with the rape of a mentally challenged young woman in 1975, the unlawful confinement of a 13-year-old girl in 1978, and the assault causing bodily harm of a 10-year-old boy that same year.

Over the years, Blanchard was also convicted of offences against guards and other inmates while incarcerated, including manslaughter for beating a fellow inmate to death with a metal bar.

Blanchard’s lawyer, Tom Engel, argued his client is a product of abuses suffered during institutionalization that began when he was a child. Blanchard has spent the majority of his adult life incarcerated.

Engel had earlier made applications that Blanchard’s convictions should be stayed, and that a mistrial should be declared. Macklin rejected both applications.