A violent sex offender living in Ottawa has complete freedom with no conditions on his release, despite posing an “elevated risk to reoffend.”
Aaron Gilpin, 35, has been living in Ottawa for the last month after relocating here from Smiths Falls in late July. Originally from Tay Valley Township, he has an extensive criminal record history dating back to the early 2000s, Smiths Falls police said.
“(His) convictions include a brutal child-related sexual assault, assault, weapons offences, disarming a police officer, break and enters, (and) thefts,” Smiths Falls police said.
He has been in and out of custody for several years, they added. His latest release from jail was in 2025, and his parole conditions have since expired.
Gilpin caught the police service’s attention after they received a call about a suspicious person at the gazebo near the library and town hall in Smiths Falls.
This prompted police in that town to warn the public about the man they deemed to have an “elevated risk to reoffend now that he is no longer on any conditions of release.”
“Although no criminal offences occurred, it caused concern to the officers,” they said.
Police in Smiths Falls issued a warning to that community on July 23, and within days, he was photographed walking in downtown Ottawa by residents here.
The Ottawa Police Service issued their own warning on Aug. 21.
Brett Lacey, a crime intelligence analyst with the Smiths Falls Police Service, said he couldn’t comment on exactly how Gilpin made his way to Ottawa due to “privacy considerations.”
“He left Smiths Falls on his own accord after being connected with available community resources that could assist with transportation,” Lacey said.
According to social media accounts, Gilpin has been spotted at several locations in the downtown core, including close to local parks and schools.
But there’s nothing preventing him from being there. Despite having a long list of serious criminal convictions, the Ottawa Police Service said being a registered sex offender and being subject to release conditions are two separate things.
Once an offender completes their sentence, and any parole conditions have ended, they are free.
“A person can remain registered as a sex offender after specific release or sentence conditions have expired. In that circumstance, being in the community or in a public place is not, by itself, an offence,” Ottawa Police media relations said in a statement.
The police service said they would not comment on the specifics of Gilpin’s sentence, release conditions or legal status.
Police said, however, they notified the public “because the High-Risk Offender Management Unit believes Gilpin poses a significant risk to public safety based on his history of violent and sexual offending.”
The province’s Community Safety and Policing Act of Ontario allows police chiefs to issue public warnings if “they reasonably believe that the individual poses a significant risk.”
Smiths Falls police also said while Gilpin does present a safety risk to the public, his rights are “guaranteed under the Charter of Rights and Freedoms Act.”
Gilpin is described as a white male, approximately six feet tall, with a medium build, hazel eyes, and facial tattoos.
Anyone who observes Gilpin involved in criminal activity should not approach him and should contact the OPS High-Risk Offender Management Unit at 613-236-1222, extension 4395, or 9-1-1 in case of an emergency.
Anonymous tips can be submitted by calling Crime Stoppers toll-free at 1-800-222-8477 or at crimestoppers.ca.
