Allan Schoenborn day pass decision will not be appealed

Allan Schoenborn will be granted day passes to the community,after the province announced Friday that it will not appeal a decision made by the B.C. Review Board.

Schoenborn has been heldin the Forensic Psychiatric Hospital in Coquitlam, B.C., since being found not criminally responsible forkilling his three children in April 2008.

The family of Darcie Clarke, who isthe children's mother and Schoenborn's estranged wife, released a statement Friday, sayingshe was disappointed with the province's decision.

Family protests decision to grant child killer day passes

9 years ago

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Allan Schoenborn day pass decision will not be appealed

The next steps

In a statement, the Ministry of Justice said there was no legal basisfor appealing the review board's decision on Schoenborn.

The province also said that escorted access to the community is not mandated, and can only be granted to Schoenborn with the approval of the director of the hospital.

Clarke said in a statement Friday that she is pleading with PremierChristy Clark and Justice Minister SuzanneAnton, to change their decision.

During a press conference Friday, Anton did not mention Clarke when asked about her, but said she reluctantly agrees with the decision not to appeal.

"None of us are terribly happy about this," said Anton.

"I am confident they [the Criminal Justice branch] have reviewed all possible avenues of appeal. There is no legal basis for an appeal thatthey have determined."

Anton also said that the branch is assessing the case is determiningwhether or not to make an application to the Supreme Court to designateSchoenborn as a high-risk offender.

Shocking decision

The decision on May 29, 2015, announcingthat Schoenborn had been granted the possibility of escorted leave, came as a shock to the community of Port Coquitlam, B.C.

PortCoquitlamMayorGreg Moore was quoted sayingthat the decision outraged the community and that he wouldurge city council to ask the B.C. government to re-evaluatethe board's decision.

"We're just shocked by this. When this board makes a decision, they're not taking into consideration what the effects are on the community," he said.