(DDM) – Convicted murderer and sex offender Kelly Toop, aged 65, has once again regained his day parole, sparking outrage across Canada.
Diaspora Digital Media (DDM) gathered that the Parole Board of Canada reinstated Toop’s day parole on October 24, 2025, the second time in two years the convicted killer has been released after earlier suspensions.
Toop, who was convicted in the early 1980s for a series of violent crimes including first-degree murder, rape, attempted murder, and acts of gross indecency, has been serving a life sentence since 1983.
His criminal record traces back to 1980 when he brutally assaulted and murdered 36-year-old real estate agent Suzanne Seto in Duncan, British Columbia.
Reports revealed that he held her captive for hours, sexually assaulted her repeatedly, and ultimately killed her by striking her with a cement block.
Two years later, in 1982, Toop attacked another woman in Williams Lake, striking her with a tire iron and leaving her for dead.
The victim miraculously survived and later identified him, leading to his arrest and conviction.
DDM learned that Toop’s parole was first suspended in October 2024 after “troubling incidents,” including allegations of accessing pornography and secretly filming a woman without her consent. It was reinstated two months later, in December 2024.
However, his conditional freedom was again revoked in July 2025 when he left his assigned placement under unclear circumstances and gave investigators conflicting explanations. A nationwide warrant was issued for his return to custody.
Court and parole documents revealed that Toop has been diagnosed with antisocial personality disorder and sexual sadism disorder, the latter said to be “in remission” within a controlled prison environment.
Despite this, authorities have classified him as a minimum security risk since 2015, citing over 1,000 hours of successful escorted absences.
The Parole Board’s recent decision to reapprove Toop’s day parole for six months included strict conditions, barring him from entering British Columbia, limiting his internet access, and prohibiting relationships with women without prior approval.
The board, however, noted what it called a pattern of “minimization and deflection” in his attitude toward his past crimes, warning that any further violations could result in a permanent revocation of parole.
Public reactions across Canada have been largely critical, with many questioning the justice system’s leniency toward a man described as a “dangerous predator.”
Legal analysts told DDM that the case raises concerns about how parole boards assess risk in violent offenders, especially those with documented sexual sadism disorders.
Human rights advocates have argued that rehabilitation should remain central to Canada’s correctional system, while victims’ rights groups insist that repeated suspensions prove Toop remains a threat to public safety.
As the debate intensifies, the parole board maintains that Toop’s case will continue to be closely monitored, with a review scheduled at the end of his six-month parole term.