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3w ago

Serial Romance Fraudster Appeals Indefinite Dangerous Offender Ruling

Kent is arguing at the Alberta Court of Appeal that indefinite detention should be reserved for violent criminals rather than financial fraudsters.

FILE; A man holds a bunch of red carnations in Istanbul, Turkey, Friday, Feb. 16, 2024.
Court of Appeal at the Edmonton Law Courts building, in Edmonton on Friday, June 28, 2019. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jason Franson
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Overview

  • Kent filed a notice of appeal at the Alberta Court of Appeal on July 18 to overturn Justice Hayes-Richards’s June dangerous offender designation.
  • His defence contends that Canada’s dangerous offender law is meant for those who pose violent threats and should not apply to non-violent financial fraud.
  • Court records show Kent engaged in elaborate online romance scams from 2016 to 2017 using fake careers, feigned brain cancer and bogus real estate schemes that left victims thousands in debt and suffering depression and humiliation.
  • The dangerous offender label keeps him in custody indefinitely pending periodic reviews by the Parole Board of Canada instead of a fixed prison term.
  • Legal observers warn the appeal could prompt appellate or Supreme Court clarification on whether dangerous offender measures should extend to non-violent repeat offenders.