Killer on Parole - Arrested for Instructing BJJ

[Bill Mattocks]

Not sure what to think about this one.

Calgary martial arts instructor, convicted killer re-arrested for alleged parole violations

Calgary martial arts instructor, convicted killer re-arrested for alleged parole violations

A convicted killer who has been training students at a Calgary martial arts studio was arrested last week and remains in custody while he awaits a hearing before Corrections Canada.​

Normally I'm kind of a law-and-order guy, and would not want a convicted killer teaching young people martial arts. However, from appearances, it seems as if this person has reformed himself. It also appears as though he's been re-arrested for parole violation based on a general prohibition against participating in fighting events. Not sure if coaching BJJ qualifies as that.

Your thoughts?

 

[Steve]

I'm with you. There's a point where, as a society, we have to decide if we truly believe in rehabilitation and the idea that someone has paid his/her debt to society.

 

[KangTsai]

Convicted murderer or not, you're teaching kids how to kill with speed and efficiency anyway, aren't you? Better hope he wasn't properly rehabilitated, or else maybe every martial arts instructor will be on the watchlist.

 

[Bill Mattocks]

Convicted murderer or not, you're teaching kids how to kill with speed and efficiency anyway, aren't you? Better hope he wasn't properly rehabilitated, or else maybe every martial arts instructor will be on the watchlist.

What?

 

[KangTsai]

What?

Exactly.

 

[ballen0351]

Well if he knew what his conditions for release were and violated them then he should have known better. if I kill someone and am allowed to be released I would not do anything that could even closely resemble a violation

 

[ballen0351]

On the other hand however he's been doing it for 10 years why now is it an issue. I wonder if there is more to the story then being reported

 

[frank raud]

On the other hand however he's been doing it for 10 years why now is it an issue. I wonder if there is more to the story then being reported

That was my first thought. He has a black belt in BJJ, that usually takes about 10 years to obtain. New parole officer, maybe?


About Me

 

[JR 137]

There's just not enough information to make an informed judgement on this IMO.

A couple things come to mind however...

Was he not made aware of the conditions of his release? It doesn't matter if he's caught the day he started or 30 years after he started (if parole lasts that long), he's violated the terms. Note I'm not commenting on whether the terms are just or not.

If he didn't know the terms, ignorance of the terms isn't an excuse. Nor does this seem to be some minor technicality. Not knowing the speed limit doesn't get me out of a ticket. Genuinely not knowing there's a school .75 miles away doesn't make it ok for a pedophile to live in a house when the stipulation is 1 mile.

Saying that, the article said he couldn't attend fights nor participate in them (boxing and the like). It didn't say if training nor coaching a combat sport was allowed. So do they truly know if he violated the competing/attending rule? What if he didn't compete nor attend his athletes' competition, and was strictly a dojo guy?

Correct me if I'm wrong, but isn't it pretty much impossible to become a BJJ black belt without competing?

There's more to the story than will ever be reported. Call me crazy, but if I'm giving someone the benefit of the doubt, and there's quite a few unanswered questions in this, I'm going to side with the courts of a civilized country over a previously convicted felon. Track record means something. He is a convicted murderer.

I'm not debating if the rule is good, bad, or indifferent; just whether he broke it or not.

 

[Tez3]

There's just not enough information to make an informed judgement on this IMO.

Exactly though there are two clues...parole violations and the fact it was a Canada wide warrant for his arrest these indicate something more than just to do with martial arts. You could count three clues if you consider that the reason for recall haven't been made public indicating it could well be something that involves others yet to be named or who cannot be named because of the charges.

 

[JP3]

I went back and read the listed parole terms. "... not to participate in or attend professional or amateur boxing or fighting events… not to participate in a combative role (fighter) in a professional or amateur boxing or fighting event.”

If he's teaching BJJ in an organized class setting, he's not actually violated thiose terms as I would understand them... but then I, as with most readers of this board, do understand those terms and more importantly, a BJJ class setting.

 

[Tez3]

What we need is a list of all the parole terms. There are usually a lot of conditions, reporting weekly to probation/police, living at an approved address, not breaking the law even speeding, working at approved jobs ( including voluntary work), who you associate with, who you don't contact ie the victims family/friends etc. There is a long list, here it's called coming out on licence but basically you life may be outside prison but is still very much controlled by the authorities. It's an assumption that the martial arts/fighting clause is the reason, there may well be others they don't know about.

 

[wingchun100]

That was my first thought. He has a black belt in BJJ, that usually takes about 10 years to obtain. New parole officer, maybe?


About Me

I skimmed the article.

Could he have earned the black belt before going in?

 

[frank raud]

I skimmed the article.

Could he have earned the black belt before going in?

No. He went to jail at 17. Started BJJ in 2005, got his black belt in 7 years.

 

[wingchun100]

No. He went to jail at 17. Started BJJ in 2005, got his black belt in 7 years.

It pays to read sometimes. LOL

 

[Gerry Seymour]

I'm with you. There's a point where, as a society, we have to decide if we truly believe in rehabilitation and the idea that someone has paid his/her debt to society.

Unfortunately, there's very little in the US penal system that has anything to do with rehabilitation. It's mostly about punishment, which has never been very effective at getting people to change their minds, attitudes, or even behaviors.

 

[Gerry Seymour]

On the other hand however he's been doing it for 10 years why now is it an issue. I wonder if there is more to the story then being reported

I always wonder that on stories like this.

 

[frank raud]

This article may have been what sparked renewed interest in him Gillie murderer Clinton Hollett now works at martial arts gym

 

[Bill Mattocks]

This article may have been what sparked renewed interest in him Gillie murderer Clinton Hollett now works at martial arts gym

Wow. Thanks for digging that up!

 

[oftheherd1]

This article may have been what sparked renewed interest in him Gillie murderer Clinton Hollett now works at martial arts gym

That does shed a different light on the matter. But I still wonder, as asked above, why now?