A convicted sex offender who was set to be released into the community will remain in jail after being designated a dangerous offender by the B.C. provincial court. John Ambrose Seward, 33, had a long history of violating his release terms, sometimes within hours of being freed, leading the court to impose an indeterminate sentence.
Background of Offences
In October 2022, Seward was charged with assaulting a woman in east Vancouver while he was already serving a 10-year long-term supervision order for sexual assault, sexual assault with a weapon, and aggravated assault. He was convicted of the Vancouver offence in 2024.
Seward's criminal history includes violent sexual assaults in Port Alberni in 2009. In 2010, he was convicted on three counts of sexual assault and two of sexual assault with a weapon after attacking women he had stalked. Media reports described how he choked a sex worker after dragging her into an alleyway, forced a woman to perform a sexual act at knifepoint, and stabbed an 18-year-old woman's butt cheek.
Repeated Violations of Release Terms
In 2015, Seward was released from jail after serving time for the Port Alberni assaults and was set to live in supported housing in Nanaimo. Within hours of his release, he was arrested after being spotted in a public park, where he was not allowed to be. He was released again a week later.
Before his release, B.C. Corrections had notified the community, stating that Seward "maintained a pattern of predatory and opportunistic violent sexual offending. Women ages 15 to 55 are at risk." In July 2015, he was arrested and charged with aggravated assault and intent to commit a sexual assault by choking after attacking a Nanaimo woman from behind. She escaped but required hospitalization.
Court Decision and Dangerous Offender Designation
After his 2024 assault conviction, Crown counsel spent 18 months lobbying to have him designated a dangerous offender. This label can only be imposed when there is no reasonable expectation that an offender's risk will be manageable in the community. On April 30, the court agreed and imposed an indeterminate sentence, meaning Seward will remain in custody indefinitely.
"Protecting communities from high-risk sexual and violent offenders is a priority for the Vancouver Police Department and the B.C. Prosecution Service," said VPD Const. Megan Lui. "One way to do this is by making dangerous-offender applications in appropriate cases, and the investigation and prosecution of Seward was one of those cases."
