A man who terrorized women in St. John’s back in 2012 is now suing the federal government, claiming he’ll never walk again after being stabbed in a New Brunswick prison.
Sofyan Boalag, who was convicted of raping two women and a 15-year-old girl, filed a lawsuit stating that he was attacked at the Atlantic Institution on Feb. 3, 2023. According to the statement of claim, prison staff had opened all the cell doors in one corridor at the same time so inmates could line up for their medication. That’s when Boalag says he was ambushed from behind and repeatedly stabbed.
“The plaintiff says that his injuries were catastrophic in nature, rendering him unable to walk for the rest of his life,” the court filing states. The lawsuit was submitted to Federal Court on Jan. 20 by his lawyer, Laura Neilan.
Boalag’s crimes in 2012 sent shockwaves through Newfoundland. Over the summer and fall of that year, he preyed on women in the early morning hours, attacking them on city streets. In total, six victims came forward, with horrifying details about how he choked them unconscious and, in some cases, threatened them with a knife. His reign of terror had residents on edge, prompting police to issue a public warning before he was finally arrested in December 2012.
In 2016, he was convicted and labeled a dangerous offender, meaning he received an indeterminate prison sentence—essentially a life sentence with no fixed release date. At the time, Judge Pamela Goulding made it clear why she imposed such a harsh punishment.
“I am not satisfied that there is a reasonable expectation that the public can be adequately protected from Mr. Boalag by a measure less than an indeterminate sentence,” she stated in her ruling.
Boalag fought his designation as a dangerous offender, appealing all the way to the Supreme Court of Canada, which shut him down in 2021.
Now, after last year’s prison attack, he’s taking legal action. His lawsuit claims the correctional officers at the Atlantic Institution failed to properly secure the facility and didn’t intervene quickly enough once the stabbing began. Boalag argues that his attacker had a known history of violent behavior toward him, yet prison officials still allowed them to be in close proximity.
The suit also accuses the prison of failing to prevent weapons from being smuggled inside, not conducting proper searches before letting inmates into common areas and ignoring internal policies by releasing multiple inmates from their cells at the same time.
So far, the federal government hasn’t responded to the lawsuit.
A spokesperson for Correctional Service Canada told CBC News that they are aware of Boalag’s case but won’t comment while legal proceedings are ongoing.
“CSC employees are trained and are expected to carry out their duties with professionalism, in full compliance with our policies, procedures – and of course, the law,” the spokesperson said in a statement. “CSC does not tolerate any breach of these standards, and all allegations are thoroughly investigated, regardless of the source.”
According to the lawsuit, Boalag has since been transferred to a correctional facility in Ontario.