Day parole extended for killer of B.C. teen Reena Virk
The 38-year-old woman convicted of murdering teenager Reena Virk near Victoria in 1997 will be allowed to continue her day parole.
The Parole Board of Canada ruled on July 14 that Kelly Ellard, who now goes by the name Kerry Sim, will continue to spend two nights a week at a community residential facility and five nights at her private home.
The board says Sim, who is now the mother of two young children, has recently fallen under personal and financial stress due to her spouse's loss of employment and struggles with substance abuse. Despite that, the board found Sim's "motivation level and reintegration potential are high."
Sim's day parole was expanded last August, extended in January and has now been extended for another six months.
Sim was 15 when she and a group of teens beat Virk and then she and an accomplice followed the injured girl, beat her again and drowned her in the Gorge waterway.
She was tried as an adult and had three second-degree murder trials before 2009 when the matter was addressed by the Supreme Court of Canada and her life sentence for Virk's murder was upheld.
The parole board is maintaining conditions linked to Sim's release, including an order against the use of alcohol or drugs and a requirement that she have no contact with Virk's family.
In its six-page report, the board says it expects Sim's continued parole "will not constitute an undue risk and will continue to facilitate your reintegration into the community as a law-abiding member of society."
With files from The Canadian Press
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
'Oh my God, you're my brother': Man in his 70s discovers 6 unknown siblings
After receiving a DNA kit one Christmas from his son-in-law, Hugh McCormick soon discovered that he had six unknown siblings, with whom he shared the same birth parents.
No refund for travellers who cancelled flight already scrapped by airline: regulator
Four years on, the controversy over whether airlines owed refunds to passengers after cancelling hundreds of thousands of flights during the pandemic continues to simmer, aggravated by a sluggish, opaque complaints process.
'My family doctor just fired me': Ontario patients frustrated with de-rostering
Dozens of Ontarians are expressing frustration in the province’s health-care system after their family doctors either dropped them as patients or threatened to after they sought urgent care elsewhere.
Rates of cancer declining in Canada, but more work needed to save lives: projections
A new study projecting declining rates of cancer cases and deaths in Canada demonstrates the success of prevention and early detection programs, but also highlights areas where more work is needed to save and prolong lives, researchers say.
Canucks hold off Oilers for 4-3 win in Game 3
Brock Boeser had two goals and an assist, and the Vancouver Canucks hung on for a 4-3 win over the Edmonton Oilers in Game 3 of their second-round Stanley Cup playoff series.
Ottawa pizzeria places among top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world at international competition
An Ottawa pizzeria is being recognized as one of the top 20 deep-dish pizzas in the world.
Man fatally 'slashed in the neck' in downtown Toronto, suspect outstanding
Police are searching for a male suspect after a man was “slashed in neck” on Sunday morning in downtown Toronto and died.
WATCH Dashcam video shows terrifying near-miss on two-lane northern Ontario highway
There were some scary moments for several people on a northern Ontario highway caught on video Thursday after a chain reaction following a truck fire.
'He's in our hearts': Family and friends still seek answers one year after Nathan Wise's disappearance
It’s been a year since Nathan Wise went missing and his family is no closer to finding out what happened to him.