A former Saint John councillor and youth minister convicted of child sex-related offences has had his day parole renewed for another six months.
Donnie Snook is serving an 18-year federal sentence on 46 child exploitation-related charges. He pleaded guilty in 2013 to crimes involving 17 boys over a 12-year period.
Most of Snook’s victims were from the Saint John area and were between five and 15 years old. His charges included touching a child for a sexual purpose, producing child pornography, and sexual assault.
Snook was originally granted day parole in May 2023 and released to a community residential facility two months later.
Eleven special conditions were imposed, which include avoiding “negative individuals,” following a treatment plan, reporting relationships, not using a computer, abstaining from pornography, and not being around children.
The Parole Board of Canada renewed his day parole for six months in December and granted him overnight leave.
His parole has since been renewed for a second time, according to a decision dated July 4 and released on Monday.
In its decision, the board said it did not “lose sight of the nature and gravity” of Snook’s crimes and the “profound and lifechanging” harm that he caused.
“However, with these concerns in mind, the Board finds you continue to demonstrate a commitment to change, and a willingness to use the skills and tools you have learned to manage your risk to reoffend,” said the decision.
“The Board notes you appear to be aware of the risk associated with your pedophilia and are open to discussing your sexual thoughts and fantasies as a means to mitigate this aspect of your risk.”
Board members also noted his participation in programming and counselling “will continue to serve as protective factors in your case that will support your risk management and long-term reintegration goals.”
Snook is described by a parole board as a “diagnosed pedophile with an ‘engrained sexual deviance,'” adding a 2022 risk assessment determined he poses a “low and manageable risk for sexual reoffending on day parole” but that full parole was “premature until you had demonstrated your manageability on day parole for a reasonable amount of time.”
The parole board denied full parole for Snook earlier this year, noting that he would pose “an undue risk to society.”
Snook told the board he was not interested in full parole at that time, had not secured employment, and was continuing to build community supports.
“In coming to the decision to deny full parole, the Board noted the nature and gravity of your offending, nature of your pedophilia, the duration and extent of your offending, and recognition that you were not ready for a full parole release,” said the board.
Snook’s statutory release date is March 2025, according to the board’s decision. It noted that his statutory release conditions would be addressed at his next day parole review in six months.
