Sofyan Boalag sits in a St. John’s courtroom in 2017.Article contentWarning: This story contains details of sexual assault THIS CONTENT IS RESERVED FOR SUBSCRIBERS ONLY.Subscribe now to access this story and more:Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsSUBSCRIBE TO UNLOCK MORE ARTICLES.Subscribe or sign in to your account to continue your reading experience.Unlimited access to the website and appExclusive access to premium content, newsletters and podcastsFull access to the e-Edition app, an electronic replica of the print edition that you can share, download and comment onEnjoy insights and behind-the-scenes analysis from our award-winning journalistsSupport local journalists and the next generation of journalistsRegister to unlock more articles.Create an account or sign in to continue your reading experience.Access additional stories every monthShare your thoughts and join the conversation in our commenting communityGet email updates from your favourite authorsSign In or Create an AccountorArticle contentAs news spread on Monday, Nov. 3, that serial rapist Sofyan Boalag had died in prison, one of the survivors of his crimes was surrounded by a storm of well-wishes; a downpour of joy meant for her, but never reaching her skin.Article contentArticle content“Congratulations,” people have been saying to her.Article content“You must be thrilled.”Article content“Good riddance.”Article contentArticle contentShe feels none of that.Article contentAt first, shock gripped her. She felt stunned, frozen in disbelief, unable to process the news or decipher what she was feeling, left wondering how someone in her position was meant to react.Article contentNow, she feels empty.Article contentEmpty, sad, and facing the reality that the closure she had hoped for — the conversation she longed to have with the man who had taken much from her — will never happen.Article content“I feel sad for him. I feel sad for me. And I feel sad for his family, whom, from what I hear, had disowned him,” she tells The Telegram.Article contentA dangerous offenderArticle contentThirteen years have passed since the December night when Boalag approached her, chatted with her and lured her to a secluded area, where he held a knife to her throat, threatened her life, raped her and choked her until she was unconscious.Article contentWhen she came to, he was gone, and she ran until she found a police car.Article contentArticle contentShe was one of three females, two adults and a child, Boalag was convicted of attacking and sexually assaulting with a weapon in downtown St. John’s within a three-month period.Article contentArticle contentThe court declared him a dangerous offender, a status reserved for sexual predators and other violent criminals deemed likely to commit more crimes, and sentenced him to an indefinite jail term.Article contentBoalag appealed his dangerous offender designation all the way up to the Supreme Court of Canada, which rejected his effort in 2021.Article content Crown prosecutor Dana Sullivan and defence lawyer Jon Noonan prepare their submissions during a break in an appeal hearing for convicted serial sex offender Sofyan Boalag at the Court of Appeal of Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court in St. John’s in February 2020.Article contentHis parole application that same year was also unsuccessful. At that time, Boalag had not completed the necessary programming, had been involved in several violent incidents with other inmates, and had been assessed as being a high risk for further sexual violence.Article contentSome of the survivors of his crimes attended the hearing and urged the board not to grant Boalag parole.
A conversation that never came: Survivor of St. John’s rapist Sofyan Boalag won’t get closure she wanted
