So-called ‘sleepwatcher’ will not reside in Halifax while on parole

The man dubbed the “sleepwatcher” will be serving his conditional release outside of Halifax, police say.

Barry Sinclair, the man convicted of breaking into people’s homes and staring at them while they slept, was released today on parole after serving two years and eight months of his four-year and four-day prison sentence.

“We have confirmed that Mr. Sinclair is not coming to our area. He is not coming to our jurisdiction,” said Theresa Rath, the public relations manager for Halifax Regional Police. “It’s my understanding that he’s also not coming to Nova Scotia.”

Sinclair, 53, was found guilty in November 2012 of one count of break and enter, but his rap sheet is lengthy. According to parole documents, Sinclair has convictions dating back to 1980, including three charges of break and enter, break and enter and commit sexual assault, five charges of break and enter with intent, indecent exposure, armed robbery and two counts of trespassing at night.

The files claim that Sinclair’s crimes are sexually motivated and consist of him breaking into the homes of females he believes to be alone or single. The Parole Board of Canada decision from Oct. 20, 2015 details his routine:

“You enter the home and observe them until you are discovered and some kind of reaction or resistance is offered. You then take off, but there are serious concerns of just how far you would go if the victim were to freeze or be in any way vulnerable.”

The parole board evaluation determines him to be a moderate risk to offend in a general manner and a high risk to reoffend in a sexual manner, given his social and criminal history, and the lack of progress he made during his most recent stint in jail. It further states that his crimes “have the potential to escalate to a more serious contact type of offence.”

As part of his parole Sinclair must live at a halfway house, follow a plan for the treatment of sexual deviancy, and must not consume, purchase or possess drugs or alcohol until the end of his sentence in February 2017.