A convicted high-risk sex offender who lured children through social media is facing a new charge of sexual assault following a complaint at Surrey Pretrial Centre.
Jeffery Goddard, 24, has been in custody since last December, when he was arrested for breaching probation conditions connected to previous sex-related charges.
Goddard served a 20-month jail term after being convicted of invitation to sexual touching, communicating via a computer to lure a child, impersonating a police officer and two charges of breaching his bail conditions. Most of his crimes were committed in Abbotsford. He has a history of assuming other identities – posing as a police officer, a teenage girl and a TV producer – to lure young teens, mostly boys, via the phone, Facebook and other social media.
In spring 2013, he was released and living in Surrey, with B.C. Corrections issuing a warning he had offended in a predatory and opportunistic manner, and was at high-risk to re-offend.
By November 2013, Goddard was on the lam and police issued a warrant for his arrest, saying his behaviour indicated he may be back in a crime cycle. He was arrested a few weeks later in Maple Ridge for breaching his conditions and has been in custody since.
Surrey RCMP say his latest sexual assault charge came after a two-week investigation. Goddard was due to make an appearance in Surrey Provincial Court today (Nov. 13).
- with files from Monisha Martins and Vikki Hopes