Parole Board denies temporary release for Alberta murder convict

The Parole Board of Canada has denied a request for unescorted temporary absences for Anthony Gallup, the man convicted of the 2001 kidnapping and murder of five-year-old Jessica Koopmans in Alberta.

Appearing via video from a minimum-security prison in British Columbia, Gallup requested leave to attend a workshop in Kamloops focused on childhood trauma. The board ruled that Gallup is not ready for additional freedoms and that granting the request would be premature.

During the hearing, Gallup claimed he smothered the child in a state of panic and shame because he feared being exposed as a pedophile. He stated, “I don’t have any explanations that would satisfy anybody. I am not the same person that I was 25 years ago.”

Jessica Koopmans was taken from her Lethbridge home in May 2001; her body was discovered a week later near Fort Macleod. The victim's mother, Sylvia Bouw, attended the hearing via video, describing Gallup as a “master manipulator” and noting that the possibility of his release reopens deep wounds.