Larry Takahashi served 30 years in prison, and now the national parole board appears intent on easing him toward a life of freedom. But his freedom would mean his victims will never quite be free.
When Takahashi was arrested by Edmonton police in 1983, he admitted to attacking 30 women, but police believe he was responsible for more than 100 attacks. His attacks were violent, and involved breaking into women鈥檚 homes and raping them while wearing a balaclava.
In 1984, he agreed to plead guilty to 14 counts of rape, sexual assault with a weapon, aggravated sexual assault and disguise with intent. As part of that agreement, another 56 charges were dismissed. He was sentenced to three life terms, plus 73 years.
Each of Takahashi鈥檚 life terms came with the provision that he wouldn鈥檛 be eligible for parole for 25 years. That condition, plus the additional 73 years, would lead the rapist鈥檚 victims to believe he would never be released.
But prison-sentence math doesn鈥檛 work that way. In 1997, Takahashi was allowed day-release passes from the Ferndale Institution near Mission. His day parole was revoked in 1995 after he met several times with a convicted sex offender in Vancouver.
Now he has been allowed an unescorted temporary absence from the William Head Institution and is living in a halfway house in Victoria until Dec. 24, when he must return to William Head. That has raised a public outcry 鈥� hundreds of people have called Victoria police to express their concerns, which are shared by the police.
The fears are not groundless 鈥� Takahashi has apparently shown no remorse, and violent sexual predators are not prone to being cured.
It doesn鈥檛 help that Takahashi was given a massage by a female massage therapy student at a halfway house last week. The students often perform this helpful service, but in this particular case, it鈥檚 inappropriate at best.
One of the goals of the prison system is rehabilitation. If a criminal responds to treatment and counselling, and can be equipped to lead a productive life, it is in society鈥檚 best interests if that person is released after serving a suitable sentence.
But Takahashi鈥檚 crimes were not a thing of the moment. He conducted a reign of terror, inflicting incalculable pain and suffering on his victims and spreading fear among countless others. His attacks were violent and increasing in violence. The police who dealt with his case were of the opinion that he would have become a killer if he hadn鈥檛 been stopped. As it was, his final victim, a 23-year-old expectant mother and the star witness at his trial, lost the twins she was carrying through miscarriage.
Perhaps Takahashi has conquered his demons, but that鈥檚 not likely. Even the parole board, which granted him the temporary absence, noted that he poses a moderate to high risk to reoffend, but the board rolled the dice and decided the risk can be managed with close supervision.
Two arms of the justice system are at odds with each other. The parole board says it鈥檚 safe for Takahashi to be out of prison, yet the police are warning the public that a dangerous offender is living among us. A VicPD spokesman said more than one police unit is monitoring Takahashi.
The purpose of temporary passes is to prepare an offender to return to normal life when a prison term is completed, but life will never be normal for the people Takahashi harmed. We should have compassion for offenders trying to reintegrate into society, but that compassion should not outweigh concern for victims.
While Takahashi may eventually earn his freedom, his victims will not. For them, a life sentence means just that.
