A man who admitted he raped several children in the Lower Mainland between 1995 and 2009 has been deemed a dangerous offender, meaning he will be behind bars indefinitely.
Ibata Noric Hexamer, a former political organizer and DJ, has been in jail since December 2010, when he was arrested after DNA evidence linked him to attacks in Surrey, Delta and Vancouver.
Though initially charged with 23 sex-related offences, he pleaded guilty in 2012 to three counts of sexual assault with a weapon, one count of sexual assault and two counts of unlawful confinement. He subsequently applied – unsuccessfully – to have his guilty pleas withdrawn and the case faced numerous delays as Hexamer fired several lawyers in what a judge deemed an obvious attempt at a shorter sentence.
Hexamer’s sex crimes involved children and youth between the ages of six and 14 years old.
The most recent assault took place in Surrey in 2009 when Hexamer approached a six-year-old girl who was walking near 139 Street and 62 Avenue with her older brother and his friend. Hexamer took the girl into a nearby forest at knifepoint, ordering the boys to follow, and sexually assaulted the girl.
In 2007, Hexamer approached two 14-year-old girls in North Delta to ask for directions, threatened them with a knife and forced them into a wooded area where he sexually assaulted them.
The oldest of the cases occurred in 1995, when Hexamer asked a girl outside a Vancouver elementary school to help find his child. He then forced the 13-year-old victim into a stairwell and assaulted her.
The dangerous offender status – generally sought for those convicted of serious crimes who are likely to re-offend – was asked for by Crown prosecutors and granted in B.C. Supreme Court in Vancouver on Friday (Feb. 5).
Now 48 years old, Hexamer receives an indeterminate jail sentence with no scheduled date for release, and as long as he presents a risk to society, will remain in prison for life.
He is eligible to apply for day parole after four years and ordinary parole after seven years, but if ever granted parole, he would be monitored for the rest of his life.
Prior to his arrest just over five years ago, Hexamer had no criminal record.
