A former care home worker who admitted to sexually assaulting five vulnerable people in his care has been allowed to leave prison unescorted since last year. In January 2024, Brent Gabona was sentenced to six and a half years in prison after pleading guilty to three counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual exploitation that occurred during his time working at Shepherd’s Villa — a care home in Hepburn, Sask.. Gabona worked at the home between 1992 and 2009 and admitted to abusing five adults with disabilities during his time there. Family members of his victims, some of whom were non-verbal and could not describe what was happening, thought their loved ones would be getting the support they needed at Shepherd’s Villa. The only signs some relatives had of the abuse was a sudden dark shift in the victims’ behaviour. In 2025 the Parole Board of Canada authorized Gabona for unescorted temporary absences for personal development for rehabilitative purposes, deeming him at a low risk to reoffend. Gabona has been permitted unescorted absences to attend church services. In a decision rendered last month, the Parole Board of Canada renewed its approval of these unescorted absences. The board concluded that Gabona would not have access to his victim pool during these absences and that Gabona was assessed with high reintegration potential. The parole documents say Gabona completed the Sex Offender Moderate Intensity Program in 2024. It says his unescorted absences will be for a maximum of four hours, once per week. He is allowed a period to socialize following church services, but only at the church’s location, and not at any other venue within the city.
