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Soldier, bank robber released on parole
A year ago, disgraced soldier described as ‘walking time bomb‘
Gary Dimmock
Ottawa Citizen
Photo by a Channel
Darnell Bass, seen in the back of a police vehicle on his way to court at the time of his trial, hopes to operate his own business
Darnell Bass, a Canadian paratrooper jailed for his role in a botched 1998 commando-style bank raid, has been granted parole one year after the same parole board ruled him a "walking time bomb."
The disgraced soldier had been sentenced to seven years in prison for playing a key role in a midnight raid on Brinks guards that ended in a wild shootout in Calgary.
An investigation by the Ottawa Citizen last year linked members of Joint Task Force 2, Canada‘s elite commando unit, to the raid and showed the robbers‘ arsenal included weapons stolen from the Department of National Defence.
The former sergeant applied for parole last year but was denied because of fears he would re-offend. At the time, the board said he had yet to address the issues that led to his crime.
"By your own admission, you harbour considerable ill will against the military," the board‘s 2000 decision stated.
After a much more favourable assessment this time, Bass qualified for parole. Reached at a Calgary halfway house, he said he was working on a book about his life.
"It‘s only my second day out of jail. It‘s really good to be out. My head‘s still spinning. Going from the military right to prison is one extreme to another." Bass says he has "learned his lesson" and will stay clear of crime. "I‘m really looking forward to being a citizen again. I haven‘t been one for quite a while."
Bass turned to crime over his disillusionment with the government‘s disbanding of the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
"Your deep level of dissatisfaction with and resentment towards the Canadian Armed Forces and the government of Canada resulted in your agreement to become involved in this offence," state prison files dated March 16, 2000. "In addition, it appeared to be a get-rich-quick scheme. These areas of resentment and greed could well cause trouble in the future."
But two weeks ago, the parole board granted him six months‘ parole at a Calgary halfway house. The board‘s decision was based largely on the support of a Calgary police detective who worked on the robbery case. The detective, who has befriended Bass, reported that his jailed companion is remorseful and co-operative.
In prison, Bass has made enemies, not friends -- particularly since the former Airborne soldier, a reconnaissance and small arms expert, has rejected several offers to join crime organizations.
In its Feb. 22 decision, the parole board noted Bass is a model inmate. And though the parole board last year ruled that Bass‘s elite military training made him an "extreme" danger to the public, it now says he is a "manageable" risk.
Bass will be able to walk the streets of Calgary as soon as there is an open bed at Bedford House, a halfway house near the Saddledome.
Under the conditions of his six-month release, Bass will report to a psychologist twice a week, inform the police of his whereabouts, and return to the halfway house each night. In six months, the parole board will review his case and decide whether to extend his freedom to a full year.
After his attempt to win parole last year failed, Bass insisted the board had made a mistake. He appealed, saying the board was wrong to brand him "a walking time bomb" because his psychologist had not diagnosed him as a "psychopath." And he said the board was wrong to think he‘d slip back into a life of crime.
Bass hopes to one day operate a commercial diving program.
A year ago, disgraced soldier described as ‘walking time bomb‘
Gary Dimmock
Ottawa Citizen
Photo by a Channel
Darnell Bass, seen in the back of a police vehicle on his way to court at the time of his trial, hopes to operate his own business
Darnell Bass, a Canadian paratrooper jailed for his role in a botched 1998 commando-style bank raid, has been granted parole one year after the same parole board ruled him a "walking time bomb."
The disgraced soldier had been sentenced to seven years in prison for playing a key role in a midnight raid on Brinks guards that ended in a wild shootout in Calgary.
An investigation by the Ottawa Citizen last year linked members of Joint Task Force 2, Canada‘s elite commando unit, to the raid and showed the robbers‘ arsenal included weapons stolen from the Department of National Defence.
The former sergeant applied for parole last year but was denied because of fears he would re-offend. At the time, the board said he had yet to address the issues that led to his crime.
"By your own admission, you harbour considerable ill will against the military," the board‘s 2000 decision stated.
After a much more favourable assessment this time, Bass qualified for parole. Reached at a Calgary halfway house, he said he was working on a book about his life.
"It‘s only my second day out of jail. It‘s really good to be out. My head‘s still spinning. Going from the military right to prison is one extreme to another." Bass says he has "learned his lesson" and will stay clear of crime. "I‘m really looking forward to being a citizen again. I haven‘t been one for quite a while."
Bass turned to crime over his disillusionment with the government‘s disbanding of the Canadian Airborne Regiment.
"Your deep level of dissatisfaction with and resentment towards the Canadian Armed Forces and the government of Canada resulted in your agreement to become involved in this offence," state prison files dated March 16, 2000. "In addition, it appeared to be a get-rich-quick scheme. These areas of resentment and greed could well cause trouble in the future."
But two weeks ago, the parole board granted him six months‘ parole at a Calgary halfway house. The board‘s decision was based largely on the support of a Calgary police detective who worked on the robbery case. The detective, who has befriended Bass, reported that his jailed companion is remorseful and co-operative.
In prison, Bass has made enemies, not friends -- particularly since the former Airborne soldier, a reconnaissance and small arms expert, has rejected several offers to join crime organizations.
In its Feb. 22 decision, the parole board noted Bass is a model inmate. And though the parole board last year ruled that Bass‘s elite military training made him an "extreme" danger to the public, it now says he is a "manageable" risk.
Bass will be able to walk the streets of Calgary as soon as there is an open bed at Bedford House, a halfway house near the Saddledome.
Under the conditions of his six-month release, Bass will report to a psychologist twice a week, inform the police of his whereabouts, and return to the halfway house each night. In six months, the parole board will review his case and decide whether to extend his freedom to a full year.
After his attempt to win parole last year failed, Bass insisted the board had made a mistake. He appealed, saying the board was wrong to brand him "a walking time bomb" because his psychologist had not diagnosed him as a "psychopath." And he said the board was wrong to think he‘d slip back into a life of crime.
Bass hopes to one day operate a commercial diving program.
