The public will have to wait until January to find out what the fate of Randall Hopley will be. The sentencing date for the man who abducted Kienan Hebert from his home last fall has been rescheduled again.
The psychiatric assessment to determine whether Hopley should be named a dangerous offender has been completed, however the contents will not be made public until January.
Hopley appeared before a B.C. Supreme Court Justice through a video conference on Monday. Justice Heather Holmes heard that more time is needed to study the report before the sentencing hearing can move forward. Lawyers for the defense and the Crown said they had only just received the report on Monday.
Hopley took three-year-old Kienan from his Sparwood home last September. He was returned to his home safely and without injury just a few days later, while Hopley was arrested and pleaded guilty to the abduction.
Justice Holmes ordered a psychiatric assessment in August to decide if Hopley should be labeled a dangerous offender.
Dangerous offender status is the toughest punishment under Canadian law. If Hopley is determined a dangerous offender, he could be sent to prison indefinitely. While Hopley has insisted he did not harm or sexually assault Kienan, and no evidence has been presented that he did, Hopley does have a criminal history. Hopley has a previous conviction for sexual assault in 1985 and an attempted abduction in 2007.
Hopley has been in protective custody since his arrest. Court will reconvene in Cranbrook on January 14.
