Pedophile Ryan Chamberlin to be released from prison

A convicted pedophile who made headlines in 2015 after admitting to sexually assaulting four young boys – one while he was a hockey coach in southwest Saskatchewan – is being released from prison this month.

Ryan Chamberlin pleaded guilty to sexually assaulting and corrupting children in 2015. The first victim to come forward was a young teenager whom Chamberlin had been coaching in hockey in Cabri. RCMP told the public about the charges and eventually, three more victims went to police.

Outrage grew in the province when it came to light that Chamberlin was allowed to coach and volunteer around kids despite having a previous conviction for sexually assaulting a child.

In total, Chamberlin was sentenced to five years in prison. The pre-release report from the Parole Board of Canada noted victim impact statements on file talked about the significant trauma and emotional damage Chamberlin caused with his crimes.

In fall 2017, Chamberlin applied for early release but was denied. His release this month is statutory release, which means he has served his sentence.

In October, the mother of one of Chamberlin’s victims spoke to 980 CJME. She is not being identified to protect the identity of her son, as per a court-ordered publication ban.

She was relieved the parole had been denied but wasn’t happy that he would still be released less than a year from then.

“It is so sickening to even think he’s going to be back out and I can’t do anything more about it,” she said.

She says men like Chamberlin won’t change, and the federal government needs to do more to keep them behind bars.

Parole board report with conditions

The pre-release report said Chamberlin hadn’t had any behaviour problems while in prison, though he was attacked by three other inmates when he first arrived and was put in segregation for his own protection.

The report said Chamberlin finished programming while in prison, had accepted responsibility and had verbalized remorse for what he did.

When Chamberlin is back out in the community, he’ll be under a number of conditions.

He’ll have to stay away from his victims, stay away from anyone under 18, and stay away from places children are known to gather. He’ll have to follow his treatment plan, will not be able to work or volunteer in a position where he has authority over kids. Chamberlin won’t be allowed to view or own pornography and can’t have a computer or device which can access the internet.

He’ll also have to report any romantic or even friendly relationships with people who have children under 18, as the report says he was in a position of trust, and in some cases befriended the families of his victims before sexually assaulting them.

As part of his sentencing, Chamberlin was handed a 10-year firearms ban, a DNA order, and will be on the sex offender registry for life.

According to the pre-release report, Chamberlin is a low to moderate risk to re-offend, and his psych assessment says his risk would be manageable under certain conditions. It goes on to say that his main challenge will be to effectively manage his urges in the community.

The report notes that at the time it was written on August 28, Chamberlin’s release plan was weak – without a confirmed job or confirmed place to live.