Parole documents detail convicted pedophile’s high risk to reoffend
A convicted pedophile, who Hamilton police recently warned was released into the community, was twice denied parole during his most recent sentence, with the board finding there are no supervision programs that would offer adequate protection to public from the risk (he) poses."
Steven Edward Robinson was released in Hamilton April 2 after serving a seven-year sentence for sexual interference. It was his third federal sentence for crimes against children since 1991.
Days before his release, police issued a rare public warning that the 55-year-old would be living here. Police also sought a recognizance order under Section 810.1 of the Criminal Code to allow additional supervision measures. It was approved in court April 9.
According to Parole Board of Canada decision documents obtained by The Spectator, Robinson's latest conviction stemmed from the 2010 sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl who he befriended and lured to his apartment on the promise of picking out a toy. He threatened to hurt her or her family if she told anyone what happened. It took four years for the victim to be able to come forward.
He initially denied remembering the offence, but according to an August 2017 parole board document, he was able to describe what happened after participating in programming.
Robinson has a lengthy record that includes convictions for 24 property offences, possession of a weapon, being unlawfully at large, assault, four breaches of trust, seven sexual assaults, two sexual interference convictions and assault with a weapon.
His victims included boys and girls between the ages of three and 13. He grabbed one boy off a bicycle. In some cases, he would park his van to watch victims, the documents detail.
The parole board found there was a predatory nature" to offences, involving manipulation and opportunism." He would often befriend parents of young children, only to take advantage when the opportunity presented.
While under supervision for past convictions Robinson admitted to watching children in parks and fantasizing. He would later masturbate.
According to Spectator archives, police have issued similar warnings about Robinson in the past, including police in Chatham-Kent, where Robinson is originally from, and when he moved to Hamilton in 2004.
When he was released in July 2003 following a four-year sentence, he was free for just two weeks before breaching a court order for being around local parks and trying to get a babysitting job.
In a 2004 interview, Robinson's mother, who died in 2014, told The Spectator there was a good chance her son would reoffend quickly. She warned people should be leery" of him.
According to a pre-sentence report, Robinson had trouble from an early age and his mother reported sexually inappropriate behaviour began at 14. He was diagnosed as being mentally challenged" at 16 and quit high school after two weeks. He previously took sex-drive-reducing medication, but according to the parole documents discontinued the medication as soon as he was no longer required to take it.
Robinson took part in programs in prison, but with little success.
Program reports indicate that any gains you made from such participation has been minimal and that knowledge of your risk factors and insight into your offending behaviour is extremely limited," reads the board's May 2019 decision.
Psychological testing shows a high risk to reoffend. It was for all these reasons that the board twice denied him parole.
For the rest of his life, Robinson is prohibited from possessing weapons. He has a lifetime order under Section 161 of the Criminal Code, which includes him being prohibited from going near parks, playgrounds, schools, or anywhere children might be present, having any unsupervised contact with children under 16, or using the internet except in accordance with court conditions.
The new recognizance order, signed by Robinson, goes beyond that. This includes: not changing his address without approval of Hamilton police; not leaving Hamilton without notice to police; reporting any relationship with someone who has children under the age of 16 to police; reporting work or volunteer opportunities to police before starting; attend therapy; and giving consent for medical practitioners to release records to police.
The Hamilton police sex-offender registry unit will continue to proactively monitor" Robinson for any violations of court orders, police spokesperson Const. Indy Bharaj said in an emailed statement.
Mr. Robinson's integration will be a priority," he said, adding that his day-to-day activities will be monitored by the offender management unit and community stakeholders.
Police have not had any public complaints identifying any concerning information" about Robinson or his activities.
Anyone with information they believe may assist police with the enforcement of Robinson can call Det. Bob Hill of the offender management unit at 905-546-3832. To remain anonymous contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or crimestoppershamilton.com.
Nicole O'Reilly is a Hamilton-based reporter covering crime and justice for The Spectator. Reach her via email: noreilly@thespec.com