Photo: CTV News

Heather Thomas

Notorious child killer Shane Ertmoed has been granted absences from prison.

Ertmoed is serving a life sentence for the murder of Heather Thomas, who he abducted from a townhouse complex in Cloverdale in 2000. He sexually assaulted, strangled her and dumped her body in Alouette Lake in Golden Ears Provincial Park.

It was a case that disturbed the entire province.

Thomas’ mother, Jody Aspin, told CTV News Vancouver this week she has “had no peace whatsoever … I've had absolutely no time to heal.”

Aspin and others took part in a virtual parole hearing for Ertmoed on Tuesday.

“I needed him to hear what I go through on a daily basis because of what he’s done … He needed to hear my voice, not just words written on paper. He needed to hear my voice. He killed my daughter. He killed me,” she told CTV.

The parole board decided to grant Ertmoed’s request for escorted temporary absences to help him “rehabilitate and reintegrate.”

The leaves can happen five days a week and must not exceed eight hours per day. He will be escorted by corrections staff and not have contact with anyone under the age of 16.

The escorted leaves are set to begin when COVID-19 restrictions ease.

with files from CTV Vancouver