A father who killed his three children in 2008 and is currently living in the Forensic Psychiatric Institution in Coquitlam will be allowed to make supervised day trips into the community.
Allan Schoenborn has been granted restricted day leaves and will be allowed to venture outside the facility, provided he is taking his medications and obeys hospital rules.
Bernd Walter, the chair of the B.C. Review Board, said the hearing found that Schoenborn has made significant progress during his time at the hospital and may benefit from restricted day leaves.
"The board, like any other court, has to be guided by evidence," said Walter. "In this case, in contrast to the previous year, the evidence suggests there had been significant progress."
Walter said the accused no longer shows any blatant symptoms and has been good at taking his medication and following the rules of the hospital. Schoenborn has even participated in several treatment programs.
But by definition Schoenborn is still considered a threat, which is why the accused continues to reside in custody, Walter said.
He added that he is confident Schoenborn can make day trips outside the facility without endangering the public and that safety is the main consideration when the board makes a decision.
"In giving this discretion to the director, we have experience that says if there is any doubt at all, the accused would not be able to exercise this kind of privilege," he said. "The benefit of the doubt is always given to public safety."
The decision would allow Schoenborn to make supervised trips, often with groups of other patients, outside the facility. According to Walter, this would allow him to visit local parks or make medical appointments at a doctor's office.
Schoenborn was convicted of first-degree murder on Feb. 22, 2010 but the judge agreed with the defence that Schoenborn was "not criminally responsible by reason of a mental disorder" for killing his three children in Merritt in 2008. The emaciated man was arrested on April 16, 2008 in the hills outside the community after a 10-day manhunt.
The "not criminally responsible" finding means Schoenborn will never spend time in jail; instead his sentence is being lived out in the low-security Hawthorne House at the Forensic Psychiatric Institute.
The review board granted Schoenborn's request for restricted day leaves this year after a similar review last year found him still too volatile to be allowed access to the community.
"I've been locked up for those three years and I think it's time to turn from that now and seek community access," Schoenborn told the hearing.
A victim impact statement was read by Schoenborn's ex-wife Darcie Clarke, who said she feels unsafe and afraid at the thought of her ex-husband getting any kind of freedom.
gmckenna@tricitynews.com
- with files from Dean Morrison, Merritt Herald
