New order imposed against convicted child molester

VANCOUVER (NEWS 1130) — Another special condition has been imposed against a man from Surrey convicted of sexually assaulting children more than 10 years ago and with a record dating back to 1978.

Christopher Lance Neale is currently serving a 10-year community sentence after being classified as a long-term sex offender. According to the Parole Board of Canada, a long-term sex offender order is one that is imposed by the court during sentencing, and comes into effect when the person has completed their sentence.

Now 65 years old, he was released from prison in March 2015 for crimes involving children as young as 11.

He served five years and six months for sexual assault.

In April, the Parole Board of Canada determined he’s still a high risk to re-offend.

According to the decision, obtained through a request for information, Neale met with another convicted child sex offender at a computer store in January. Neale’s case management team later determined he lied about trying to help that fellow parolee access information online.

A new special order from the parole board bars Neale from having contact with anyone else with a criminal history.

“You need to improve your behaviour and consequential thinking skills,” says the decision.

The board adds it was not satisfied with Neale’s behaviours in the community or that he continued to lie to his case management team.

“The board cautions you on the potential consequences of future risk behaviour or deceit,” says the decision.

Other conditions he was previously ordered to follow include staying away from children, sex trade workers, drugs and alcohol, as well as mobile phones and computers.

Some details in this latest decision, including where Neale lives, have been blacked out.

Background from his file shows he has a history of abusing boys and girls, including some he paid to watch him have sex, as well as lying to police about his identity.

He was on parole in 1989 when he got a job as an outreach worker in a church and “befriended a vulnerable boy who had intellectual deficits.” After sexually assaulting him, Neale threatened to hurt the boy’s family if he reported what happened.

Neale was also convicted of raping an 11-year-old girl in 1993.

Residency on his long-term supervision order was not extended in 2018, when he was transferred to a non-community residential facility, where he currently lives. The name of that facility has not been disclosed.

Editor’s note: This article has been updated to clarify the child molester is no longer on parole.