A day after police announced the release of a convicted sexual offender living in the city – a friend of the young victim in the sexual assault he was convicted for is shocked he was released.

On Monday, Edmonton Police said Kevin John Taylor, 49, had been released from the Bowden Correctional Centre after serving a 12-year sentence for a sexual assault that occurred more than a decade ago.

Police said Taylor planned to live in the Edmonton-area, and officials said he was considered to be at a high-risk of reoffending, sexually and violently against females.

He was convicted after an 11-year-old girl was abducted from her home, sexually assaulted and then left her in a field in 2000.

Now, his release is stirring up raw emotions in Jocelyn Hansen, a friend of the victim’s family.

“I find that makes me not trust the system, and that makes me not trust the people we’re supposed to be trusting in all of this,” Hansen said.

She remembers vividly the emotions of that day.

“Fear comes over you, this could have happened to one of my children,” Hansen said. “It just hits close to home.”

In his parole documents, Taylor is described as untreated – despite going through two high-intensity treatment programs.

Taylor was also described as having persistent violent sexual behaviours, and a record of non-compliance.

“A high-risk to reoffend, he’s considered to be a violent sexual offender,” Edmonton Police Service Spokesperson Patrycia Thenu said. “That is the reason why our detectives will be monitoring him for the next two years.”

On Monday, Police said officers from the Behavioral Assessment Unit would be keeping tabs on him.

Taylor is described as:

  • Caucasian
  • 188 cm (6’2”) tall
  • 84 kg (185 lbs.)
  • Gray hair
  • Blue eyes

EPS said Monday that the information was issued after deliberation by police on a number of issues, including privacy concerns – under the belief that it was in the interest of public safety.

Regardless, Hansen said she doesn’t understand why Taylor was released – especially since police and the parole board both recognize him as dangerous.

“We’re living more and more in a world of fear,” Hansen said. “I guess I’m not ok with that.”

With files from Serena Mah