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Kamloops pedophile slapped with internet ban

William Paul Willan, 58, has a track record of breaching such conditions.
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Kamloops Law Courts

An “opportunistic” Kamloops pedophile who has a history of failing to abide by conditions put in place to stop his offending will spend the next 18 months bound by a protection order preventing him from getting close to children.

William Paul Willan, 58, was placed on a peace bond during a hearing Tuesday in Kamloops provincial court, with severe restrictions placed on when and how he is allowed to access the internet.

Willan has a track record of breaching such conditions.

In 2005, Willan was sentenced to three years in prison following a sexual assault conviction. In that case, he used walkie-talkies to lure young boys for sex.

Willan was labelled a long-term offender and placed on a supervision order, the conditions of which he violated repeatedly. His release was suspended nine times due to breaches before the long-term supervision order expired in 2020.

In 2019, he was busted after using an electronic device to access the internet in the Staples store on Hillside Drive. Over a period of two hours, he searched online for images of young boys in swimsuits.

A few months before that, Willan was caught using a friend’s cellphone to access the internet.

In a decision Monday placing Willan on a peace bond, Kamloops provincial court Judge Stella Frame noted there were “a number of occasions” prior to 2019 “where Mr. Willan’s behaviour would deteriorate and he would be found in high-risk areas such as parks and toy departments.”

Frame’s decision quoted a previous assessment of Willan in which he was labelled a moderate to high risk to reoffend.

“Mr. Willan is an opportunistic pedophile,” the assessment report read. “Given the right circumstances in the absence of appropriate supervision, he is highly likely to reoffend against young male children.”

The assessment report concluded that Willan’s risk could no longer be managed in the community.

“He was secretive about his activities in the community, dishonest about his location and admitted that he breached the terms and conditions of his release by accessing the internet to look at children in Speedos,” Frame said.

Willan’s peace bond will be in effect for the next 18 months. During that time, he will be barred from being near children, contacting children, volunteering with children and dating anyone with children, unless they are informed about his offending by a probation officer.

Willan will also be prohibited from accessing the internet unless with his probation officer or an approved supervisor, and from possessing more than one cellphone.

In addition, Willan will be barred from deleting his internet history, consuming drugs or alcohol and using walkie-talkies. He will also be required to attend residential sex-offender treatment as directed by his probation officer.