The man who was found guilty of killing a University of Victoria student in 1987 has been given day parole.
In January 1987, UVIC student Marguerite Telesford disappeared. Although her body was never found, evidence led to Scott Mackay being found guilty of her murder. Mackay is currently serving a life sentence for this conviction.
The convicted murderer is also a potential suspect in another unsolved homicide case and has been found guilty of two attacks on sex trade workers.
Now, Mackay has been given six months of day parole, following six unsuccessful applications, even though the parole board stated that Mackay has a high risk for “violent reoffending.”
Victim rights advocate Dave Teixeira is describing the decision as “confusing.”
“He has not shown regret or cooperation in the long term to bring closure to this family and it seems in many cases, parole boards and review boards lean towards letting someone out after a certain amount of time because they’ve ‘earned it’ and it proves their systems are working,” Teixeira told Global News.
“It appears to be another instance that a parole board is ignoring the safety of Canadians.”
The board stated that it found that Mackay would not pose an excessive risk to society while on day parole, referring to his 25 years of sobriety and completion of programs.
Mackay has several conditions including a 10 p.m. curfew and a prohibition from consuming alcohol and drugs. He also must report all relationships and friendships with women to his parole supervisor.
It is unclear where Mackay will be released, as that information was redacted from the decision.
