Fort St. John veterinarian granted day parole

FORT ST. JOHN, B.C. —  The Parole Board of Canada has granted day parole for a Fort St. John veterinarian. 

Justin Sewell pleaded guilty to charges of sexual assault, unlawfully recording intimate images and voyeurism in November 2022 and was sentenced last April to two years less a day of house arrest.  

According to the Parole Board of Canada, although Sewell was denied a full parole, he was granted day parole to a community residential facility (CRF) for a period of six months. 

Several conditions were imposed by the board, which include no contact with the victim, following treatment plans, internet restriction, pornography restriction and reporting relationships. 

These conditions will remain in effect for the duration of the release, the parole board said. 

“When an offender is granted parole, they [come] under the supervision of the Correctional Service of Canada,” the board said. 

“So depending if there’s rooms available or not, they might go immediately or there might be a delay.” 

This comes after Sewell’s “leave to appeal” application was dismissed in the Supreme Court of Canada on April 23rd.

When asked if Sewell can apply for a full parole once his day parole finishes, the board said: “There are provisions in the law, depending on if the offender has reached his eligibility or not, if he was denied full parole, under the law, he can’t reapply for one year.” 

But if Sewell’s case management team wants to bring forward a recommendation, they can, the board noted. 

It added: “Although the law says you can’t reapply for one year after a denial, there are mechanisms where it could be seen earlier.” 

To view the full decision of the Parole Board of Canada, see below.