Watts furious at rapist’s release into Surrey halfway house

SURREY (NEWS1130) – Surrey Mayor Dianne Watts is outraged a convicted sex offender known as the Falconridge Rapist is being released into a halfway house in her community.

Andrew Aurie Jefferson was convicted for attacking three women in Calgary back in 2006.

Surrey RCMP Cpl. Drew Grainger says Jefferson is considered a high risk to re-offend.

“His method of operation was to randomly grab a female from behind who is walking down the street,” Grainger said. “He would threaten to kill the female if she screamed and use a knife during the commission of the sexual offence.”

He was convicted for attacking three women in Calgary back in 2007.

He was released from prison earlier this month.

Jefferson spent a brief amount of time in Kelowna and Mission and is now being released into Watts’ community.

“As the mayor of this city I am absolutely outraged,” Watts said. “There has to come a time when the public safety of a community outweighs those of a convicted sex offender.”

Grainger says RCMP will be keeping tabs on Jefferson, making sure he doesn’t break any of the conditions of his release.

That doesn’t do much to ease Watts’ concerns.

“I think the RCMP is between a rock and a hard place,” Watts said.  “They will do everything in their power to protect the community from this individual; however this individual is free to wander wherever he pleases.

“I go back to the fact that a third of our population is under the age of 19 and we’re a city of families.  To release someone like that into our community is ridiculous.  It’s absolutely ridiculous.  The federal government needs to change some laws and put in a mechanism where this person is behind bars.”

Jefferson isn’t allowed to go outside between 10 p.m. and 7 a.m. and he’s been ordered not to have any weapons.

If he gets into a relationship with a woman he has to tell his probation officer.

He can’t continue with that relationship until the woman has been told about his criminal past.