Former Victoria financial advisor Ian Thow who conned investors of more than $8 million has been granted parole after serving just two and a half years of his nine-year prison sentence.
Patrick Storey of the Parole Board of Canada said Thow is being released from custody because he is not considered a threat to commit violence.
Thow was denied parole in January, but a supreme court ruling that accelerates parole for first-time, non-violent offenders allowed him to be released after serving a sixth of his sentence. Although the ruling was abolished last year, it was applied to Thow’s case retroactively because he was sentenced in 2010.
Am I the only one that sees this and is disgusted. I know our prison system had budget problems but for someone that committed a crime against many people (defrauded several people of their savings), should have served more time.
For him to be released he needs to:
- report to his parole officer
- report intimate relationships
- gaining employment
- and see a psychologist.
Seriously! We need stiffer penalties for investor fraud – how many hours did the people he defrauded need to work to earn that money that he invested.
Am I overreacting or did the punishment fit the crime?
Author: 
Totally agree that we need harsher penalties! This is ridiculous!
It costs quite a bit of money to keep someone incarcerated and I would much rather have that money spent on a violent offender than a fraudster.