No unescorted outings for man serving time for murder

An inmate who once challenged the Correctional Service of Canada for the right to live with another gay inmate has lost his bid for unescorted temporary absences.

Jean Richer, who is 51, has been serving a life sentence at federal prisons in Saskatchewan for the 1990 first-degree murder and sexual assault of a woman.

In 2014, the Saskatchewan Court of Appeal unanimously upheld a lower-court ruling that Richer and his partner Leslie Sinobert’s rights were not deprived when they were transferred to different housing units.

On Tuesday, the Parole Board of Canada released a ruling that denies Richer’s request for unescorted temporary passes.

The parole board says that while Richer is now serving time in a minimum security facility he has not taken responsibility for killing and sexually assaulting the victim.

It says his presence in the community unsupervised would pose an undue risk.

“You stated that you are not the person now that was convicted of the “alleged” offence,” reads the parole board ruling. “You assess you deny sexually assaulting and killing the victim.

“Of further concern is that you have yet to develop realistic selfmanagement strategies to manage your risk.”

In 2013, a Court of Queen’s Bench judge dismissed an application from the two Saskatchewan Penitentiary inmates in Prince Albert who were in a long-standing relationship to stay together.

Justice Mona Dovell ruled that she did not have the jurisdiction to determine if the prison’s administrative decision to transfer the two men was unreasonable.

Richer had argued that the prison’s decision to separate them was based on homophobia and discrimination.