Man who broke brother's jaw declared long-term offender, released from custody

A 57-year-old Nova Scotia man who fractured his brother's jaw and skull during an attack and has a history of brutally sexually assaulting women was released from custody last month and ordered to live in a halfway house after being sentenced as a long-term offender.

The Parole Board of Canada said by law it can't reveal the current location of Scott David Desrosiers. But a board decision issued last week said he must return to a halfway house nightly, can't use drugs or alcohol, and must report all intimate relationships with women.

In May, Desrosiers was handed a 6½-year prison sentence in Nova Scotia Supreme Court in Bridgewater, N.S., for aggravated assault, but was released shortly after due to credit he was given for time spent in pretrial custody since his arrest more than four years ago.

He is bound by a 10-year supervision order imposed by Justice Diane Rowe, who concluded in a ruling released this week that Desrosiers "has exhibited a pattern of violence since 1989, demonstrating a persistent and enduring behavioural challenge."

Evidence at sentencing, according to the ruling, included testimony from a Correctional Service of Canada official about how a plan would be developed to control Desrosiers's risk in the community.

"It appears to the Court that there is a prospect for eventual control of the risk to the public posed by Mr. Desrosiers, but such control is to be exercised in a very controlled and cautiously implemented manner," Rowe said.

"It will require a very high degree of ongoing supervision by Corrections."

History of violence

In 1999, Desrosiers was sentenced to 20 years in prison for sexually torturing a woman he knew. Ten years earlier, he tied up and sexually assaulted a 68-year-old woman. He was handed seven years in prison.

Following Desrosiers's release from a community correctional facility in Dartmouth, N.S., on Christmas Eve 2019, RCMP issued a public warning that he was living in Queens County in the province's southwest.

Desrosiers had moved in with his mother and brother in South Brookfield, N.S. About a year later, he punched his brother — who was in an argument with his mother — several times in the head, injuring him so badly that two metal plates had to be implanted in his jaw.

Desrosiers pleaded guilty to aggravated assault and the Crown sought to have him sentenced as a long-term offender. He agreed he met the criteria, although his lawyers argued for a period of six years of supervision, not the 10 years sought by the prosecution and ordered by the judge.

Long-term offender designation

A long-term offender designation means a person is subject to supervision by the Correctional Service of Canada after the end of their prison sentence.

A judge can designate a person a long-term offender if the prison sentence is more than two years, they are a substantial risk to reoffend, and there is "a reasonable possibility of eventual control of the risk in the community."

The parole board can order the person to live under certain conditions, according to a spokesperson. The person can be taken back into custody if they breach those conditions, with any subsequent release determined by corrections officials or the parole board.