A convicted pedophile originally from Langley is back behind bars in Ontario.
Madilyn Harks was recently released into a halfway house in Brampton, Ontario, prompting a public warning from the Peel Regional Police that she was a serious threat to reoffend.
On Friday, March 29, Harks was arrested, after Correctional Services of Canada issued a warrant of suspension, revoking Harks’ long term supervision order.
Charges have not been laid yet and it’s unclear exactly what caused police to take Harks into custody.
Corrections officials did not say what caused the arrest, citing the Privacy Act.
However, they noted that violations of a long term supervision order, if there is a conviction, can result in a prison term of up to 10 years. If there is no conviction, the offender is released after 90 days.
CTV has reported that Harks has previously been taken into custody six times for violating the long-term suspension order since she was released from prison in 2010.
Formerly known as Matthew Harks, she pleaded guilty in 2004 to two counts of sexually assaulting children while he was living in Walnut Grove.
In all, Harks has been convicted of three sexual assaults against girls under the age of eight. Harks, now 36, victimized neighbours and a fellow church congregation member.
Following her release from prison in 2010, she was convicted of breaches of her release conditions and imprisoned again for 330 days.
The long term supervision order Harks was under had banned her from attending public pools, day cares, school grounds, playgrounds, community centres, or being in the presence of any children under age 14 unless with another adult approved by her parole supervisor.
Harks’ residence in Brampton had drawn harsh condemnation from that city’s Mayor Patrick Brown, who called it a “clear example that our justice system is broken.”
READ MORE: Convicted pedophile from Langley raises fears after move to Ontario
