Halifax police issue warning after offender deemed high risk released from prison

Halifax Regional Police are warning the public about a man who has just been released from prison after completing a sentence for sexual assault, uttering threats and other charges.

Police say Gerald Edmund Pike, 53, is considered a high risk to reoffend.

The charges stem from an incident in October2012.

Pike assaulted a teenager he knew as she was walking down a street. He shoved her to the ground and prevented her from crying out before assaulting her.

He served more than six-and-a-half years in prison and is now under a 10-year mandatory supervision order with strict conditions.

Numerous conditions

The conditions include that he stay away from children, not consume drugs or alcohol and not possess any weapons. His name had already been placed in the national sex offender registry following a conviction for sexual assault in 2011.

Pike's criminal history dates back to a theft conviction in1990.

But in an assessment earlier this month, the Parole Board of Canada noted he had a long crime-free period before beginning the series of offences that have led him to this point.

In two separate cases, Pike pursued women. In addition to the case where he knocked a woman to the ground, he trapped a second victim in an elevator.

"The latest Psychological Risk Assessment from December 2019 indicates that your risk for sexual recidivism is in the 'Well Above Average' range," the Parole Board noted in a decision dated March 2.

Must take prescribed medication

One new stipulation the board attached to Pike's release is that he take his prescribed medication. According to the board, Pike had stopped taking his prescription because he found it suppressed his sex drive and he wanted to meet a woman and start a relationship.

While off his medication during a previous release, Pike became angry during a supervised outing to a grocery store. He started shouting and rammed the supervising officer with a shopping cart.

The board warned Pike that there could be serious consequences if such behaviour was repeated in the future.

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