Dangerous offender from Halifax denied parole

A dangerous offender from Halifaxwho is a suspect in the cases of a number of missing Nova Scotia women has been denied parole yet again.

Andrew Paul Johnson was declared a dangerous offender after being convicted of kidnapping, confinement and other charges related to his attempts topick up 12-year-old girls in Nanaimo, B.C., in 1997 while posing as a police officer.

When police arrested him, he had a 20-year-old mentally disabled woman locked in his car.

Johnson has been behind bars ever since and was declared a dangerous offender.

'Emotional, psychological and physical harm'

His last parole application was in May, when he was also denied. His latest review was conducted on Nov. 8. In its decision, theParole Board of Canada noted Johnson has made progressbut is still assessed as a high risk to reoffend.

"Victim statements speak to the emotional, psychological and physical harm you caused," the board noted in the decision.

"The most recent statement describes ongoing effects including a lack of trust, fear and anxiety. It is apparent that your offending has caused lasting and likely permanent harm."

A previous parole board decision also said Johnson isa suspect in the disappearance of several Nova Scotia women, but it offered no other details of those cases.

Johnson is currently being held in a prison in B.C.and has indicated that if he is released, he wants to live in the Lower Mainland.

The board said none of the halfway houses in that area of B.C. are prepared to accept him. He's been approved for work outside the prison but has been unable to find any "through no fault of his own," the board said.