Notorious killer Paul Bernardo appearing before Parole Board of Canada

Notorious killer Paul Bernardo is appearing before the Parole Board of Canada today for a hearing.

Bernardo, who was denied parole twice in the past, is serving an indeterminate life sentence for the kidnapping, sexual assault and murder of 15-year-old Kristen French and 14-year-old Leslie Mahaffy in the early 1990s near St. Catharines, Ont.

He was also convicted of manslaughter in the December 1990 death of his then-wife Karla Homolka’s 15-year-old sister, Tammy.

Victim impact statements delivered so far include those from Kristen’s mother, Donna French, who spoke of the “senseless and brutal” loss her family endured, and from Leslie’s brother, Ryan Mahaffy, who was a young child when his sister was murdered.

Donna French victim statement

Deborah Mahaffy victim statement

Bernardo’s hearing is getting underway at the medium-security La Macaza Institution in Quebec, after his transfer there from a maximum-security Ontario prison caused public outcry last year.

Tim Danson, a lawyer representing the French and Mahaffy families, said the parole board initially denied his clients the right to deliver their victim impact statements in person at the hearing.

After the board reversed its decision, Danson said the lack of time to make appropriate travel arrangements meant only Mahaffy’s mother would be present, while others would deliver their statements remotely.