Man who killed four, including Mountie, gets 72 hours of freedom each month

VANCOUVER – A man who committed what the National Parole Board calls one of the most heinous crimes in the history of B.C. will be allowed to leave prison for up to 72 hours a month.

Steven Leclair shot and killed three people in a Vancouver bar in September 1980, then drove to the RCMP detachment in Richmond, B.C., where he killed one officer and wounded another.

After more than three decades in prison, a board says he still has treatment needs and his reintegration into the community should be monitored and gradual.

The board says Leclair may have unescorted absences from prison for a total of 72 hours a month, including one 48-hour leave and another 24-hour leave, as long as he abides by a long list of conditions.

Leclair asked for longer leaves to spend time with his wife, shop, go to a movie and attend church in an undisclosed location somewhere in the Vancouver area.

In a written decision, the board says there will always be a question mark around whether Leclair will re-offend.