Pedophile set free in B.C. with conditions
A British Columbia judge has ruled a man convicted in Thailand for sexually abusing children will be allowed to go free, but Christopher Neil will need to follow strict conditions to keep the public safe.
Provincial court Judge Patrick Chen ruled Neil will have to be watched for the next 18 months, to prove he’s not a danger.
Neil’s lawyer told the court earlier that the 37-year-old former teacher would follow the conditions allowing his freedom.
Neil pleaded guilty and spent five years in a Thai prison after an international manhunt was triggered when computer experts unscrambled images of him abusing children.
Crown lawyer Gerri-Lyn Nelson asked that a series of strict, probation-like conditions be enforced for two years.
She said she wasn’t aware that Neil took any sex-offender treatment pro- grams while he was in custody to limit his risk to society.
Duty counsel Mark Thompson, however, wanted an 18-month term, noting some of the conditions were “quite onerous.”
“As distasteful as the Thai court found what he has done, it is not on the scale of the worst sex offender(s),” he told court. “One could assume there are worse sex offenders out there.”
Some of the conditions Neil is expected to abide by include surrendering his passport, staying away from places where children under 16 would congregate and not having access to the Internet. He would also be expected to remain in B.C., and frequently check in with a probation officer.
Neil faces no charges in Canada, but police arrested him when he arrived at Vancouver’s airport last week.