Police warn against confronting high

Police warn against confronting high-risk offender spotted in Ottawa

Aaron Gilpin has extensive criminal record, including sexual offence involving a child

Ottawa police are cautioning the public not to approach a high-risk violent sexual offender now living in the National Capital Region.

Aaron Gilpin, 35, has been in and out of custody for several years, with his last conviction ending in 2025. According to the Smiths Falls Police Service, Gilpin has an extensive criminal record, including convictions for a brutal child-related sexual assault, assault, weapons offences, disarming a police officer, break and enters, and thefts.

Police are telling the public to remain vigilant but to also avoid confronting Gilpin or taking matters into their own hands.

"[We are] notifying the public because the High-Risk Offender Management Unit believes Gilpin poses a significant risk to public safety based on his history of violent and sexual offending," OPS said in a media release.

Smiths Falls police issue similar warning

Earlier this summer, Gilpin was spotted in Smiths Falls, with police there issuing a similar warning.

Smiths Falls police said Gilpin is at an elevated risk to re-offend "now that he is no longer on any conditions of release."

In a follow-up with CBC News, the police service said it wasn't their call to relocate Gilpin.

"Mr. Gilpin voluntarily chose to leave Smiths Falls," said Brett Lacey, a crime intelligence analyst with Smiths Falls police. "[We] connected him with available community resources that could assist him in relation to transportation, but the decision to relocate was entirely his own."

Rape crisis centre says safety is priority

The Ottawa Rape Crisis Centre says Gilpin's relocation to Ottawa is "very concerning," especially for survivors of sexual violence.

"We are also aware of videos circulating on social media showing members of the public confronting Gilpin," the centre said in a media release.

"We understand that people may feel anger and fear in response to this situation. However, confronting someone identified as a high-risk offender can create additional risks, so we encourage people to follow guidance to avoid putting themselves or others in danger."

Ezioma Emejuaiwe, the executive director for the Sexual Assault Support Centre of Ottawa, said it supports Ottawa police taking on the responsibility of warning the community about high-risk offenders.

"As much as the community wants to know that he's there, I would dare say that we would also want to know what types of measures, what types of access he has to, I would say, the help that he probably needs," she said.

Public Safety Notification: High-Risk Offender Now Residing in Ottawahttps://t.co/z71EGoRlxn
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Mise en garde en matière de sûreté publique: délinquant à risque élevé habitant actuellement Ottawahttps://t.co/z5aAnwiGNS pic.twitter.com/SthVJrZFCN

Criminal defence lawyer Michael Spratt said public advisories like the ones issued in Ottawa and Smiths Falls are one of the only ways police can take action.

"It can be problematic," Spratt said in an interview. "I mean, he has served his time.... But certainly it's not against the rules for the police to release that sort of information."

But the lawyer said these kind of warnings can also lead to higher rates of recidivism.

"Releasing information like this makes it very hard for an individual to be rehabilitated," Spratt said. "It makes it incredibly difficult for that individual to find employment. It makes it incredibly difficult for that individual to find housing, to access social services and to be reintegrated into sort of the fabric of society."

Ottawa police warn public after dangerous offender granted day parole

OPS told CBC News it was not available for an interview for this story.

In an emailed statement, a spokesperson said the public, instead of confronting a registered sex offender, should alert the High-Risk Offender Management Unit.

It said doing so can help police in confirming that the individual is properly registered and, where applicable, that their current residence and other required information are accurately reflected in the registry.

"It is also important to recognize that a person's status as a registered sex offender does not, by itself, mean that their presence in a public place or their ordinary lawful activities constitute an offence," the spokesperson said.

The service also noted that being registered as a sex offender and being subject to release conditions are two separate matters.

It said a person may remain registered after specific release or sentence conditions have expired.

Joseph Tunney is a reporter for CBC News in Ottawa. He can be reached at joe.tunney@cbc.ca