N.S. justice minister to express concerns about Shrubsall release to federal minister

Justice Minister Mark Furey is adding his voice to the chorus of criticism about the Parole Board of Canada's decision to release convicted killer William Shrubsall from prison.

Shrubsall, who was declared a dangerous offender in 2001 because of violent sexual assaults against women in Halifax, has since been deported to America where he faces a prison sentence for sexually assaulting a teenage girl in 1995 and also faces trial for jumping bail.

While he has no input into decisions by the national parole board, Furey said he would be writing his federal counterpart to express his concerns about what's happened. He said it would be the first time he's contacted Ottawa for this reason.

"Let's recognize that the crimes that were committed were horrendous," Furey told reporters in Halifax Thursday. "This individual was determined to be a dangerous offender and dangerous offenders typically aren't released from custody."

While it might not have an effect on the situation, Furey said he thinks it's important for federal Justice Minister David Lametti to know how the provincial government feels, given that the majority of Shrubsal's crimes took place in Nova Scotia.

In the wake of the parole board's decision, Shrubsall's victims, American prosecutors and the lead investigator in Halifax who helped get a conviction here have all expressed outrage that Shrubsall would be released from prison in Canada.

"He is a predator when it comes to women," former Halifax police detective Tom Martin said in an interview Wednesday.

"And the parole board doing this, it's disgusting and it's borderline negligence as far as I'm concerned."

Furey, a member of the RCMP before entering politics, said he's also concerned because circumstances such as this can retraumatize victims.

"I can't imagine what they're going through at this time."