Bradner Residents Voice Concerns with Signs

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Redacted Sign posted at 58th Street and Bradner Road. Photo by The Bradner Barker.

Bradner BC - Residents in the community are posting warning signs in the community after it was learned that convicted criminal, James Conway, has moved into North Bradner. 

Bradner is described as a peaceful, rural area with families that have lived here for generations. 

Residents in the area are livid that Conway has been allowed to reside here and make shift signs have been posted at major intersections within Bradner and Mt. Lehman

The Abbotsford Police Department released a public notice on August 1st, 2015 that Conway, would be moving into Abbotsford. Privacy laws prohibited them from saying exactly where.

Conway has a long criminal history, including three sexual offences against children, as well as sexual interference of a person under 16, sexual assault and arson.

In addition to criminal offences he has breached his release conditions at least twice. In April 2014, he was caught staring at young girls on Sky Train, looking down their shirts and engaging them in conversation by producing a stuffed animal. He was later sentenced to 10 months in jail and 3 years of  probation.

In February 2015, BC Corrections released that Conway has a pattern of “sexual offending against female children in a predatory and opportunistic manner.” Conway was back in jail less than 2 weeks later, after allegedly breaching his conditions when he sat down on a bus beside a 14-year-old girl, even though other seats were available. He was released again in April, and planned to reside in Delta.

A concerned Bradner resident said to the Abbotsford News that “Nobody wants somebody like that around their children … It’s not a comfortable feeling knowing he’s there”. Another Bradner resident, Cherry Groves, has sent emails to Justice Minister Suzanne Anton, Abbotsford Mayor Henry Braun and Police Chief Bob Rich questioning Conway’s residency.

Many warning signs have been posted in the area, and residents are planning to hold a rally on Sunday, August 23rd, 2015 - with the goal of having Conway leave Bradner.

BC Corrections spokesperson Amy Lapsley said Conway chose to live in Abbotsford and explained that “There is no legal authority for the province or any law enforcement agency or public body to tell offenders in which community they can or cannot live… In many cases, offenders choose to return to the area where they were living prior to their time in custody, or to where they have family or supports and resources, such as housing, in place, and BC Corrections’ probation officers work closely with local police and other agencies to identify support for offenders, including appropriate housing placements.

She said Conway is the subject of “intensive monitoring” by Corrections and the Abbotsford Police. He is under 24-hour house arrest, on electronic monitoring, must not leave his residence at any time without the supervision of an approved adult and must not be near anybody under the age of 18. Breaches of those conditions could result in him returning to custody.

Offenders under federal jurisdiction, with a jail sentence of two years or longer, often reside in halfway houses upon their release. These facilities often include structured programs and are manned by trained staff, but are not available to those serving Provincial sentences, as Conway is.

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