Serial Kamloops sex offender denied parole

CONTENT ADVISORY

A Kamloops man convicted of raping three women while they slept was denied parole two years into his sentence.

Troy Schank, 39, is serving a five-year sentence for three sexual assault convictions. The federal parole board denied his requests for release in early January, but suggested he may be moved to a minimum security facility.

After multiple assessments, he was found to be a high-risk to reoffend especially against romantic partners, according to a Jan. 6 Parole Board of Canada decision.

“Recent information confirms you continue to deny sexually assaulting the victims while they were asleep, asserting that the victims ‘fell asleep during sex,'” the decision reads.

In 2023, Schank was convicted for the first time for sexually assaulting a woman two years earlier.

Later, he pleaded guilty to raping two other women. The first of which occurred in 2018 and the other in 2021.

The victim in the 2018 rape also challenged the court to overturn a publication ban that anonymized her in an effort to reduce stigma against victims of sexual assault. Her case was delayed for years because police misplaced a DNA evidence kit.

The parole board also noted he was charged and acquitted for another alleged sexual assault in 2020.

Serving a five-year sentence on three charges, Schank maintains a “low profile” while in custody because of the nature of his crimes, according to the report.

He was reluctant to detail his crimes in sexual offender programs and correctional staff told the parole board he shows “continued denial” and “minimization” of his impact on his victims.

“Despite your insight and acceptance of responsibility for your offending, the board notes that you continue to hold some belief that the sexual offences began as consensual until the women fell asleep and were no longer able to consent,” the decision reads.

The board said that he denies drugging his victims and couldn’t explain why they fell asleep in the first place.

If he were released on day parole, Schank sought to stay in a facility in the Okanagan. With full parole, he would have moved into a family home in Ontario, according to the decision.

Both requests were denied.

NOTE TO READERS: To connect with a victim service program or violence against women program call VictimLink BC at 1-800-563-0808. VictimLink BC provides information and referrals to all victims, as well as immediate crisis response to victims of sexual and family violence.