Women’s support organizations say the search for a dangerous man New Westminster Police say breached his conditions of release, highlights significant flaws in our criminal justice system.

New West Police are hunting Andrew Debatt, who is accused of holding his girlfriend in a garage against her will and assaulting over the course of ten days.

Louisa Russell with Vancouver Rape Relief says cases like these, where the alleged attacker is released with no contact conditions, brings to mind the tragedy in Oak Bay last year, “In that particular situation there was an extremely high level of violence and with Mr. Lee the police did recommend that he stay in custody.”

Executive Director of Battered Women’s Support Services Angela MacDougall hopes the Courts will begin changing how it treats these cases, “We really need the criminal justice system to take this stuff seriously and that it is not sufficient to be releasing offenders with conditions.”

Both Russell and MacDougall say they routinely hear from women being harassed by men that have been released on conditions not to contact them.  Source CKNW July 30, 2008