Judge rules Saskatoon man with 114 criminal convictions is a dangerous offender

Warning: this story contains details of sexual assault.

A Saskatoon man with more than 100 criminal convictions has been declared a dangerous offender and will stay in a federal prison indefinitely.

Joseph Simon Peter Yaremko, 43, has been in and out of custody for two decades. In a Feb. 21 written decision, Justice Daryl Labach concluded Yaremko is likely to re-offend based on his record of violent crime and resistance to treatment programs.

The dangerous offender hearing in September followed Yaremko's 2021 conviction for unlawful confinement and sexual assault with a weapon. Those convictions stemmed from 2019, when while on the run from police and looking for a place to hide, Yaremko pushed his way into a woman's apartment, where he forced her to watch pornography and raped her over the course of a night.

Labach's decision details Yaremko's 114 criminal convictions spanning 25 years, noting an escalation in frequency and violence. Yaremko's record includes 12 convictions involving violence (five for assault and one for assault causing bodily harm), robbery, escape from lawful custody (three), and property-related offences (60).

"The evidence overwhelmingly supports the conclusion that there is no reasonable expectation that anything less than an indeterminate sentence will adequately protect the public from Mr. Yaremko committing murder or a serious personal injury offence," Labach wrote in his decision.

Yaremnko will also be on the national sex offender registry for life, and is banned from possessing any guns or prohibited weapons, devices and ammunition for life.

The dangerous offender designation is reserved for Canada's most violent criminals.

A dangerous offender designation means prison time ranging from a set number of years to an indeterminate sentence, which usually equals a life sentence. Dangerous offenders serving an indeterminate sentence can apply for parole after seven years.

Labach also cited Yaremko's reluctance to participate in treatment programs for mental health and addiction issues, as well as his habit of victim blaming, as sentencing factors.

"The evidence does not establish that Mr. Yaremko is capable of making the significant changes in his life that he must make to reduce his risk to the public to an acceptable level," Labach wrote.

There were 880 dangerous offenders under the responsibility of the Correctional Service of Canada (CSC) at the end of the 2020-21 fiscal year, according to a Public Safety Canada report. About 77 per cent of those dangerous offenders were serving indeterminate sentences.

Crown attorneys can seek a dangerous offender designation during sentencing and must show there is a high risk that the criminal will commit violent or sexual offences in the future.

For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. ​​If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911. 

Online abuse and sexual exploitation of children can be reported anonymously to cybertip.ca.