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St. John’s serial rapist Sofyan Boalag is suing the federal government over a prison altercation that has left him unable to ever walk againPublished Apr 11, 2025  •  3 minute readSofyan Boalag in provincial court in St. John’s in 2017. — TELEGRAM FILE PHOTO Photo by File Photo /File PhotoThe federal government says if Sofyan Boalag suffered injuries during an altercation with another inmate in prison two years ago, it’s because of his own negligence, not that of the institution.Boalag, 45, is suing the Attorney General for its responsibility over the Correctional Service of Canada, saying he was attacked by another inmate at Atlantic Institution in Renous, N.B., and will never walk again as a result.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 contentIn its recently filed response, the government says Boalag was the one who provoked the inmate.Now incinerated in Ontario, Boalag sexually assaulted two women and a female child in separate attacks as they walked in downtown St. John’s in 2012. Armed with a stick in one attack and a knife in the others, he also robbed two of the females and choked the other until she was unconscious.He was convicted in 2016 and later deemed by the court to be a dangerous offender — a status reserved for sexual predators and otherwise violent criminals, when the court finds there’s a high risk of them committing another serious crime — and given an indeterminate sentence.Boalag appealed that decision at the Supreme Court of Canada, which rejected it in 2021. He has so far been denied parole. Sofyan Boalag is shown during a court appearance in St. John’s in 2017.Statement of claimIn January, Boalag’s Halifax-based lawyer, Laura Neilan, filed his statement of claim in the Federal Court, alleging Boalag was attacked on Feb. 3, 2023.It’s alleged that when he and several other inmates were released from their cells at the same time to get their medication in a common area, another inmate approached him from behind and stabbed him with a sharp weapon.Article contentThe statement of claim indicates Boalag’s injuries were “catastrophic in nature, rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life.”The lawsuit alleges the other inmate had “pre-indicators of violence” towards Boalag and accuses prison staff of negligence for allowing him to line up behind Boalag.It also alleges correctional staff were negligent by allowing the inmates out of their cells at the same time, failing to search them before allowing them to line up, failing to intervene and prevent Boalag from further injury, and failing to properly monitor surveillance cameras, among several other things.Recommended from Editorial As serial St. John’s rapist is denied parole, one survivor says she’ll be there ‘every two years like clockwork’ to make sure he stays in prison Serial rapist Sofyan Boalag loses appeal to overturn dangerous offender status Federal government’s defenceThe federal government filed its defence last month, saying it knows nothing of an incident on the date in question, but is aware of an altercation between Boalag and another inmate 10 days later, in which Boalag was assaulted.Article contentPrison staff’s response to the incident was “prompt, proper and prudent,” indicates the statement of defence signed by lawyer Ami Assignon on behalf of the Attorney General of Canada.The federal government denied each of Boalag’s allegations, saying correctional staff provided adequate supervision of inmates and provided Boalag with “reasonable, necessary and adequate” medical help.If Boalag did suffer any injury because of the incident, he either caused it or contributed to it by his own negligence, the statement reads, arguing Boalag provoked the other inmate, didn’t inform prison staff of any risk to his safety, didn’t take reasonable steps to avoid the altercation, conducted himself in a reckless manner, and didn’t keep a proper lookout.The federal government is asking the court to dismiss Boalag’s claim.Article content