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Police issue public notice of Jeff Goddard's release

Online predator will resident in Abbotsford and is under several court-ordered conditions.
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Jeffrey Goddard

Convicted online predator Jeffrey Goddard was released from prison on Thursday and will reside in Abbotsford, according to the Abbotsford Police Department (APD).

Const. Ian MacDonald said the APD issued a public notice of Goddard's release to advise the public of his court-ordered conditions.

The 23-year-old was sentenced on Jan. 24 to 180 days in jail for his latest offences – two breach charges. But after he was given credit for the 168 days he had already spent in custody, that left him with 12 days.

By law, prisoners must be released after serving two-thirds of the time they have left upon sentencing, meaning Goddard had to serve eight of those 12 days.

Goddard has a history of posing over the phone and online – through Facebook and other social media – as people such as a police officer, a teenage girl and a TV producer to lure young teens, mostly boys.

He previously served a 20-month sentence for invitation to sexual touching, communicating via a computer to lure a child, impersonating a police officer, and two charges of breaching his bail conditions.

Goddard was released in February 2012, and the APD issued a public notice at that time. As part of his three-year probation, he was required to follow several conditions, including no contact with anyone under the age of 18, no use of any electronic device that can access the Internet, and not establishing or maintaining a social networking site.

Goddard's most recent charges stem from his posing on Facebook last summer as a landscaper, hiring two teen boys to do yard work at his residence, and communicating online with a teen boy  – or boys – in Florida and California.

Goddard's conditions at this time are the same as after his previous release, except that the age of people he is prohibited from contact with has been lowered to anyone under the age of 16.

As well, he is not permitted to attend places – such as playgrounds, rec centres and parks – where people under the age of 18 are present.

Anyone who sees Goddard violating his conditions is asked to call the Abbotsford Police Department at 604-859-5225 or police in their community.

 



Vikki Hopes

About the Author: Vikki Hopes

I have been a journalist for almost 40 years, and have been at the Abbotsford News since 1991.
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