Edmonton club promoter convicted of sexually assaulting 5 women granted day parole

Matthew McKnight was found guilty on five counts of sexual assault on Thursday, Jan. 16, 2020. (Galen MacDougall/CTV News Edmonton)

An Edmonton club promoter who was convicted of sexually assaulting five women has been granted day parole.

Matthew McKnight, 37, was convicted in 2020 of the assaults that happened in Edmonton between 2010 and 2016.

During his trial, court heard that he offered alcohol to his victims, who were between the ages of 18 and 22, then assaulted them at his downtown apartment.

McKnight was initially sentenced to eight years in prison, but in 2023 Alberta's top court increased his sentence to 11 years.

On Feb. 16, he was granted day parole for six months to be served in a community-based residential facility in another undisclosed province.

In its decision, the Parole Board of Canada said McKnight had been assessed as an average statistical risk to reoffend.

The board also noted McKnight has a good network of social support outside prison, and has completed programming in prison to mitigate his risk to the public.

Several conditions have been imposed on his release, including that he must not consume drugs or alcohol, go to bars, have any contact with his victims, and he must immediately report all relationships with women to his supervisor.

A 10-year firearms ban and 20-year sex offender information registration order were also imposed as part of his sentence.

With files from The Canadian Press