Former N.S. probation officer Lalo released from prison

Cesar Lalo, one of Nova Scotia's most notorious child abusers, was released on parole from the Kingston Penitentiary in Ontario two weeks ago, after serving five years for sex crimes against boys.

Lalo, 69, was found guilty of sexually assaulting 29 boys from 1973 to 1989 while working as a probation officer and social worker with the province of Nova Scotia. He was sentenced to nine years in prison.

He had been charged with more than 100 counts of attempted buggery, indecent assault and gross indecency.

The National Parole Board said Lalo will be closely watched for the next 10 years. Lalo recently began chemical castration treatment for his sexual deviancy.

Twenty of Lalo’s victims still have outstanding claims against the province for the abuse they suffered while children. The province has settled with five victims, paying out $262,000 in total.

Justice Minister Ross Landry said Thursday that the outstanding lawsuits are moving forward.

"My sympathies go out to anyone who has been violated," Landry said. "It takes time. I am monitoring it, and that's the best I can do in this stage of the game."

'I still carry this big hurt'

A Halifax man who alleges he was sexually abused when he was 11 years old by Lalo wonders why the settlement is taking so long. He filed his lawsuit against Lalo in 1996.

"I still carry this big hurt inside. I carry so much stuff inside. I think, I know, I need more counselling," he said.

The man claims that he was raped repeatedly over the course of six months by Lalo, who was his probation officer.

He points to the recent $13-million settlement with alleged victims of sexual abuse by priests with the Roman Catholic Diocese of Antigonish.

"You’ve got to realize their victims didn't have to go to court. Their victims settled without having to go to court," he said.

In 2007, Nova Scotia Supreme Court Justice Frank Edwards found the province was vicariously liable for the abuse by Lalo, who was a provincial employee at the time. He awarded $640,000  to one Lalo victim, known only as B.M.G. in court documents, who had been sexually abused four times over three months.