Neighbours protest a convicted sex offender in their midst
Posted August 23, 2015 8:44 pm.
Last Updated August 23, 2015 8:51 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
ABBOTSFORD (NEWS 1130) – How would you feel if a convicted sex offender moved into your neighbourhood?
About 100 people in the Bradner part of Abbotsford rallied Sunday to protest sex offender James Conway living in their midst.
Organizer Kim Iverson says she is constantly on edge in her own home, watching Conway survey the neighbourhood from his balcony.
“I have to shut my kid’s windows now. I don’t let them play on the road,” she says. “I’m totally freaked out.”
Iverson says the community is full of children, and does not have any support or programs for Conway.
“All he does for 24-hours-a-day is sit in his house and look out his window. For me, that’s no rehabilitation for anyone that’s sick. All you are doing is asking for trouble,” she says.
Conway wears a monitor, has someone living with him, and cannot leave the house unless it’s for a specific purpose.
Police say he has not violated any of his parole conditions.
“I think a lot of people are really scared. They just threw him across the street and expect us to be a prisoner in our own homes,” says Iverson, who has approached the BC Correctional Services about her concerns.
She’s been reassured he will have to abide by his conditions for five years. Still, she fears it is only a matter of time before he offends again.
Conway’s past prompted Abbotsford Police to issue a warning about his release, earlier this month. The 40-year-old has been convicted three times for sexual offences against children. He was released in February but was returned to custody after being accused of sitting close to a child, which is in violation of his conditions.
