By TERRY PUGH
Brent James Gabona, a former care home aide currently serving a six and a half year sentence for sexually assaulting five vulnerable residents of the Shepherd’s Villa care home in Hepburn between 2001 and 2003, has withdrawn his application for day parole.
Gabona has also waived his right to a full parole review hearing with the Parole Board of Canada (PBC). The PBC confirmed in a letter provided to the media dated Monday, October 5, 2026, that the hearing scheduled to take place at the Prince Albert Penitentiary on October 20, 2026 has now been cancelled.
However, the PBC is still reviewing Gabona’s file to determine if he will continue to be allowed Unescorted Temporary Absences (UTAs).
Rick Boguski, whose disabled brother Darryl was one of the victims of Gabona’s repeated sexual assaults, expressed relief that Gabona has withdrawn his application for day parole and waived his right to a full parole review hearing. However, he added it’s likely the move by Gabona is actually an effort to avoid the spotlight.
“We believe Brent Gabona, a twice convicted serial sex offender with a trail of victims, is nothing short of a monster and should be in prison for the rest of his life,” said Boguski in an email to the Gazette October 5. “The fact that he has withdrawn his application for full parole is a relief.
“However, there are still a lot of unanswered questions about this case, including the violence perpetrated against Darryl which Gabona has never elaborated on, There is also the very real possibility of even more victims. All these years later, we are still waiting for Gabona to cooperate with police which he has so far refused to do.”
Boguski questioned why Gabona is still allowed to reapply for UTAs with only a paper review and not a full parole hearing.
“We are urging corrections officials to clamp down on Gabona’s freedoms until he fully cooperates with police,” said Boguski.
Gabona was employed as a care aide at Shepherd’s Villa between 1992 and 2009. He pleaded guilty in March, 2023 to three counts of sexual assault of three individuals, and two counts of sexual exploitation of a person with a disability of two other individuals between 2001 and 2003. Gabona committed the crimes while he was alone with his victims. He targeted residents who were non-verbal so they couldn’t report him. The sexual assaults came to the attention of police when Gabona confessed to his doctor in 2022, three years after he had left his employment at Shepherd’s Villa.
Gabona was also previously convicted of sexual assault on a minor in 1992, the same year he went to work as a care aide at Shepherd’s Villa.
Gabona was sentenced in January, 2024 during a court hearing in Rosthern.
The PBC first granted UTAs for Gabona in August, 2025 to attend church services in Waldheim for four hours, once a week; they were renewed in October, 2025 and again in May, 2026. They were set to expire at the end of August, 2026. Starting September 6, 2026, Gabona was allowed Escorted Temporary Absences every Sunday for approximately six hours while his day parole was undergoing review.
According to the Parole Board, UTAs allow an offender serving a prison sentence to leave the facility without a staff escort for a set time period. The rationale cited by the board for granting UTAs is to allow the offender to access positive community activities and supports to help them reintegrate back into the community.
Earlier this year, Boguski sent a letter to the PBC strongly opposing the granting of any UTAs for Gabona in the interests of public safety, and urging that the twice-convicted sexual predator be designated a dangerous offender. The full text of Boguski’s letter to the PBC was published in the July 23, 2026 edition of the Clark’s Crossing Gazette.