More jail time for rapist who fled to Canada

HALIFAX — A New York state judge has sentenced a man who committed violent sexual crimes in Nova Scotia to between two and six years of additional jail time for absconding from justice and fleeing to Canada in 1996.

William Shrubsall carried out a series of rapes and beatings against Halifax women after he jumped bail and found his way to the provincial capital.

U.S. district attorney Caroline

Wojtaszek confirmed the sentence in an interview Thursday, adding that during the hearing in Niagara County, New York, on Wednesday she argued Shrubsall was a brutal and manipulative man who was capable of further harm to women.

“I’m concerned about his compulsiveness and his violent nature … and I hope the state of New York does everything it can to keep him away from society for as long as possible,” she said.

The 49-year-old American — who now goes by the name Ethan Simon Templar MacLeod — originally fled to Canada to avoid sentencing on sexual assault charges in the United States.

Shrubsall was deported to New York on Jan. 22, 2019 after he obtained a controversial release from the Parole Board of Canada based on its view he stood to serve many more years in American penitentiaries.

He is currently serving a sentence of two-and-one-third to seven years for his original conviction in absentia for the sexual assault of a 17-year-old woman.

Wojtaszek says the sentence for jumping bail will be on top of his existing sentence, and that the earliest Shrubsall could be eligible for parole is in about four years.

The state prosecutor said it would be extremely rare for an offender with Shrubsall’s record to be granted parole at the earliest eligibility date.

However, she added it was unfortunate that he didn’t remain in jail in Canada longer as a dangerous offender.