Winnipeg Free Press > Latest News > Iranian sex offender free man

Latest News

Winnipeg Free Press - PRINT EDITION

Iranian sex offender free man

Immigration officials agree his fears of being killed if deported are valid

By: Kevin Rollason

3/07/2009 1:00 AM | Comments: 54

WINNIPEG — He's been branded a danger to girls under the age of 18.

But despite the threat convicted sex offender Farid Noedost still poses, he is now allowed to walk free instead of being deported to his native Iran. The decision to release Noedost on parole instead of deporting him came after the Immigration and Refugee Board agreed his fears of being killed in Iran are valid.

But Michael McPhelan of the Immigration and Refugee Board, who ordered Noedost to be released from custody on conditions after a hearing on Thursday, said he wasn't convinced the man will not reoffend.

"I have concerns that you are dangerous to the public in Canada," McPhelan said via video conference from Vancouver to a Winnipeg courtroom.

"The way you have conducted yourself in Canada is despicable. You are a danger to girls under 18."

In agreeing with immigration officials, McPhelan said, "The need to protect the Canadian public is outweighed by the risk you face in your country of origin."

He ordered Noedost to follow his current parole conditions, which include not being around female minors and meeting with a parole officer weekly, and added requirements for him to meet with immigration officials monthly and to notify them if he changes his address or job.

The public is not normally notified of a sex offender's whereabouts while he is on probation, but must rely on probation officials to monitor him.

Noedost shouldn't be able to walk out of prison and have his safety put ahead of the safety of Canadians he'll be living among, provincial justice critic Kelvin Goertzen said in response to the board's decision. "It's disturbing and most people will be disturbed by it."

Goertzen said if immigration officials think there is an imminent threat to Noedost in Iran, he should "at the very least, still be incarcerated," and be deported when the threat no longer exists.

"There is recognition that he still poses a threat to (Canadian) society."

Noedost was sentenced to three years in prison in December 2007 for possession of cocaine for the purpose of trafficking and given a three-year suspended sentence and probation for a sexual assault conviction in April 2008.

Noedost was arrested in 2006 after two girls, aged 16 and 15, said they were abused by the man on three occasions after passing out from drugs and alcohol.

Earlier this week, Noedost was taken into custody by immigration authorities after being released on parole from Stony Mountain Correctional Institution.

Noedost was slated for mandatory deportation because his sentence was a federal term of more than two years.

But Thursday's hearing was held after concerns arose for Noedost's safety in Iran. He has a warrant for his arrest after escaping from Iran years ago and he has become a Christian since incarcerated. Noedost came to Canada years ago as a refugee. Details of his refugee status are protected because of privacy concerns, but he was granted permanent resident status in 2001.

 

-- With files from Matt Preprost

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca

Republished from the Winnipeg Free Press print edition July 3, 2009 A3

  • Rate this Rate This Star Icon
  • This article is currently rated an average of 5 out of 5 (2 votes).

    • We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high. If you thought it was well written, do the same. If it doesn’t meet your standards, mark it accordingly.

    You can also register and/or login to the site and join the conversation by leaving a comment.

    Rate it yourself by rolling over the stars and clicking when you reach your desired rating. We want you to tell us what you think of our articles. If the story moves you, compels you to act or tells you something you didn’t know, mark it high.

54 Commentscomment icon

Iranian Allen Tehrankeri came to Canada to claim asylum about the same time as Farid Noedost. He was caught robbing an Ottawa bank in 1992 and did time.

Instead of being deported, he was allowed to stay, settling once more in Ottawa. This year he was convicted of raping and killing his Canadian girlfriend's sister, and of trying to hide the evidence by burning the body. He also claims to have converted to 'Christianity'.

Note to the immigration board: economic asylum seekers will join trade unions, banned political parties, or Falun Gong or Christianity in order to establish that "they will be in danger if sent back home".

Stop being naive.

More Iranians in trouble in Canada: Allen Tehrankari and Omid Tahvilli.

There are interesting things happening in Europe. When the state stops protecting its own citizens and protects the criminals instead because of "human rights" or "political correctness" or whatever reason the citizens will find ways to protect themselves. In Copenhagen, residents are turning to local chapters of the Hell's Angels to protect them in their own neighbourhoods because the government and police won't or can't protect them. The Hells's Angels even publicly released a statement where they said as much. Pretty insane but it's happening. I guess things must be pretty bad over there. People are scared and talking about low scale civil wars breaking out over the continent. I'm worried Canada will wind up down the same path in another ten years or so.

avatar

Sooooo, the WFP has a poll stating, "Should Iranian refugee Farid Noedost have been deported following his release from prison?" Now, as I'm typing this, 1201 people voted with 94% saying yes, and 5% saying no. I'm curious to know who those 5% are.

formerwpg, I'm glad that you are that...former.

Until we can GUARANTEE that a person being executed is guilty, the death penalty should not return.

Our justice system is not perfect. As you know, numerous innocent people have been found guilty of murder. If capital punishment is returned to Canada, it is guaranteed that eventually we will murder an innocent person in the name of justice. At that point, all Canadians will be guilty of murder. Do we murder all of us then or just the judge, prosecutor and jury.

I'd love to hear your thoughts on how we justify murdering an innocent person.

ZenJed The death penalty should most definitely be brought back. There are numerous crimes which it should be used for. Instead of us taxpayers paying for these guys to be sheltered in prison, just get rid of them once and for all. If you don't like that idea, then how about charging them a daily rate for every day they are in prison (like some prisons in the US are starting to do). http://www.csmonitor.com/2009/0515/p25s10-usgn.html

THAT'S THE LAST, VERY LAST STRAW. I'M MOVING OUT OF THIS CRIMINAL COUNTRY! THE CREEP IS PROBABLY CALLING ALL HIS CRIMINAL BUDDIES OVER SEAS, TELLING THEM TO COME TO CANADA SO THEY CAN LIVE A CRIMINAL LIFE FREE.
...`WHEW... WOW. O.k, on a more calmer note. WE should be all be addressingour concern to the departments of justice, departments of immagration, congress, politicians and amassadors. I believe it is going to take a very LARGE public commitment to make a change and enforce those changes. NO more hiding. No more silence, No more complaining. Lets do something about it.

If he assaults another female, does' he have any better chance of living compared to what he has in his own country? He should fear mob justice, or prison justice if he goes back to prison.

While it may make you feel better to vent to the Immigration board, that's not the right target. They followed the rules properly. We do NOT deport someone if it is highly likely that they would be harmed or killed.

Take it up with the MP's and the PM. They're the ones who make the laws.


Hold on now, the Imigration board is deporting a man in Vancouver because he came clean when he came to Canada and said he was Ex KGB, I would say the only thing he would report back to Russia is how good life is in Canada and he is a law abiding resident. But this other jerk will surly commit another crime then what will the board say to the woman he attacks grin and bare it because he would have been procsecuted in Iraq. This Gov, in Ottawa had better get there act in gear.

View all Comments

The comment period for this story has ended.

letters

Make text: Larger | Smaller

Special coverage

Poll

Would you pay more to supersize your garbage bin?

View Results