By Canadian Press

Bid by Allan Legere for parole prompts debate over whether release laws need review

Jan 14, 2021 | 11:15 AM

Serial killer Allan Legere is permitted to keep seeking parole — and that has federal politicians and a former jailer suggesting release laws may need to be changed to ensure he doesn’t succeed.

The parole board rejected Legere’s application to be released following a hearing on Wednesday but board officials noted he has the legal right to reapply for day parole in one year and that the board must render a decision in a reasonable period of time.

The 72-year-old convicted serial murderer, rapist and arsonist escaped from custody on May 3, 1989, while serving a life sentence for the murder of store owner John Glendenning during a June 1986 robbery.

He returned to the Miramichi area to carry out four brutal murders and a sexual assault and was only recaptured on Nov. 24 of that year, during yet another return to the community, in a commandeered truck.

Conservative MP Rob Moore says that while the former Harper government succeeded in tightening the parole system, the Legere case suggests further changes should be considered to prevent victims from repeatedly having to lobby against the release of serial killers.

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John Harris, a former Correctional Service of Canada manager who dealt with Legere at a federal prison in New Brunswick, says federal legislation should be changed to allow the parole board more latitude in determining whether to review cases.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Jan. 14, 2021.

The Canadian Press