Ex-MLA Convicted of Sexual Interference Granted Early Parole

Cory Wilson is a Calgary criminal lawyer, Calgary sexual assault lawyer, Calgary sexual interference lawyer, Okotoks criminal lawyer, Airdrie criminal lawyer, Strathmore criminal lawyer, Cochrane criminal lawyer and Canmore criminal lawyer.

A notorious ex-Alberta MLA serving a three year sentence for sexual interference was quietly granted parole in August 2019 after only seven months.

After pleading guilty to one count of sexual interference, former MLA Don MacIntyre was sentenced to a three year federal sentence. The victim, was 10 years old at the time of the offence and said at the sentencing hearing the MacIntyre ruined her life and destroyed her childhood.

The offences took place between 2010 and 2011 and occurred five to ten times in Sylvain Lake. The offences involved inappropriate sexual touching. MacIntyre blamed the incidents as part of “Satan’s Plan” and told the Court that the incidents occurred during a very dark period in his life.

The sentencing judge rejected defence submissions that MacIntyre had already been punished enough by losing his job and having his name known in the community and should serve his sentence in the community.

In its decision, the Parole Board of Canada granted day parole, which is usually reserved to offenders six months before they are eligible for full parole or 1/3 of the way through their sentence. Day parole involves spending the night at correctional institutions or community “half-way houses”.

The Parole Board found that MacIntyre was a very low risk to re-offend:

Through our discussions with you, the board finds that you have taken every opportunity to come to understand the cause of your poor decision-making which resulted in sexually offending against your child victim.

MacIntyre admitted that he told his victim that “God was OK with the sexual touching between he and her.”

The Parole Board found that despite MacIntyre’s claim that his recollection of the incidents was fuzzy, he did not deny his guilt. During his hearing, MacIntyre told the Board that during the timeframe in which the incidents occurred, he was having significant problems including finding himself in the middle of a farmyard, not knowing how he got there. Though a person close to him claimed he had dementia, a doctor concluded that was not the case.

As part of his release, MacIntyre is ordered to stay away from females under the age of 18 unless they are accompanied by an adult who knows his criminal conviction. He is also to follow a treatment plan focused on sexual deviancy and mental health.

Cory Wilson is a criminal defence lawyer based in Calgary. If you have been charged with a criminal offence or are a suspect in a criminal investigation, call today for a free, no obligation consultation.