Man charged with sexually assaulting teenage girl in Vancouver was on probation for previous sex assault

Jason Proctor · CBC News

· Posted: May 30, 2025 5:47 PM EDT | Last Updated: 9 minutes ago

The repetition offender charged with sexually assaulting a 14-year-old miss successful a washroom this week was connected probation astatine the clip of the offence for different intersexual assault.

According to tribunal records, John Frederick Field was sentenced to 3 months successful situation past September, the latest successful a agelong drawstring of convictions connected the 62-year-old's records dating backmost to his clip arsenic a young offender.

The justice who sentenced Field astatine the clip noted that helium had been assessed for a imaginable unsafe oregon semipermanent offender application, but Crown prosecutors elected not to prosecute a designation that would person seen him locked up indefinitely.

Field is present successful custody again — charged successful a drawstring of convulsive incidents that allegedly began with an onslaught connected a 58-year-old pistillate arsenic she left a aesculapian assignment Wednesday and culminating successful an alleged intersexual battle of a teen successful a bath successful the aforesaid gathering minutes later.

A bail proceeding is scheduled for June 12.

'Unlikely to change'

The past clip Field appeared earlier a justice was successful B.C. Supreme Court successful Vancouver past September, wherever Justice Geoffrey Gomery sentenced him for an incidental successful February 2023 successful which helium sexually assaulted a infirmary aesculapian technician who was investigating his heart.

Field's existent condemnation was 30 months, but helium was fixed advanced credit for the year-and-a-half helium had already spent successful custody awaiting trial, meaning helium lone had 3 months and a time near to serve.

In his judgment, Gomery cited a forensic intelligence appraisal of Field, who suffered a fractured skull and traumatic encephalon wounded astatine the hands of his begetter erstwhile helium was 2 years aged and has completed 5 abstracted stretches successful national prisons.

"Mr. Field has been diagnosed with a property upset which is improbable to change. His dislike of authorization and externalization of work for his actions worsens his likelihood to change," the appraisal read.

"Mr. Field's past demonstrates a fig of factors that rise important interest regarding his amenability and responsiveness to aboriginal attraction and rehabilitation. Mr. Field has been institutionalized since property 15. This institutionalization has go entrenched implicit the years."

An alleged 'crime spree'

Wednesday's alleged battle was portion of what Vancouver constabulary called a "crime spree" that included the 2 assaults and a slope robbery. All of the alleged crimes occurred astatine an bureau gathering astatine Cambie Street and West 41st Avenue, adjacent Oakridge Centre.

Police accidental the 58-year-old was leaving a aesculapian assignment astir 5:15 p.m. erstwhile a man allegedly grabbed and assaulted her. She screamed and managed to get distant without superior injury.

Minutes later, the 14-year-old miss was utilizing a nationalist washroom successful the gathering erstwhile she was allegedly sexually assaulted and forcibly confined by a alien equipped with a knife.

The fishy past escaped aft different idiosyncratic tried to participate the washroom, accidental police, and helium then entered a slope connected the crushed level of the gathering and allegedly robbed it.

He was taken into custody astir 5:40 p.m.

'He failed to learn'

When helium sentenced Field past September, Gomery noted that helium sexually assaulted the aesculapian technician successful 2023 while on parole from the 18-month condemnation helium received for a akin intersexual battle successful 2018 connected different healthcare worker.

Field was convicted of  sexual assault, interruption and enter, and robbery and theft for the earlier offence.

"Mr. Field's intelligence deficits mitigate his motivation culpability, but lone to a degree," the justice said.

"The information remains that helium failed to larn from his 2020 condemnation for sexually assaulting a healthcare idiosyncratic and sexually assaulted (his adjacent victim) when helium had not yet afloat served his condemnation for the erstwhile assault."

While helium was serving his erstwhile sentence, Field was taxable to a Canada-wide warrant successful 2022 erstwhile helium failed to instrumentality to a halfway location aft receiving statutory merchandise from the maximum-security Kent Institution successful Agassiz, B.C.

At the time, VPD deemed him a "high-risk enactment offender" and a important hazard to the public. He was arrested 4 days aboriginal by Surrey RCMP.

VPD is asking anyone with accusation astir the alleged incidents connected Wednesday to telephone 604-717-0602.