Windsor serial sex offender Carl Leone OK now to drink alcohol

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Serial sex offender Carl Leone likes to have a nice glass of wine with dinner, and the Parole Board of Canada says he’s earned it.

Leone, nearing the end of an 18-year sentence for having sex with multiple women while hiding the fact he has HIV, recently made a successful bid for the parole board to let him start drinking again.

“You have requested the removal of your condition to abstain from alcohol as you would like to enjoy the occasional glass of wine with your family at dinner,” the parole board wrote in a Jan. 4 decision letter to Leone, a copy of which was obtained by the Star.

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“Having considered your progress with your Correctional Plan and your lowered areas of need, the Board removes the condition not to consume, purchase or possess alcohol as it is no longer reasonable and necessary to mitigate your risk.”

Leone, now 49, was sentenced to 18 years in prison in 2008 for 15 counts of aggravated sexual assault. His crimes included drugging and raping multiple women, and infecting victims with HIV.

But he’s been on full parole since 2018, living with his parents and sister in Windsor while working as a manager in the family business, according to the parole board records. The documents did not state what business the family is in.

The family-run Leone’s Music World on Dougall Avenue went out of business in 2011. The music store, which opened in 1962, went into decline after Leone’s convictions.

While he’s been on parole for seven years, his sentence officially ends on April 3, 2026. Even without parole, Leone would have been out of prison by now.

In April 2020, he became eligible for statutory release, which is a requirement in Canadian law that federal offenders who have served two-thirds of their sentence be released from prison under supervision.

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Leone was initially arrested in June 2004 for aggravated assault against two victims. The number of charges would eventually increase to 20.

In April 2007, eight weeks into his trial, Leone pleaded guilty to 15 charges. Leone admitted that between August 1997 and his arrest, he had unprotected sex with 15 women who didn’t know he has HIV. The other charges were withdrawn.

Leone, who often refused to wear a condom, infected five known victims with HIV. Three of those victims were virgins before meeting Leone. Two of them later attempted suicide. The girls were as young as 16.

Leone also drugged victims, some of whom blacked out and woke up while he was having sex with them.

He was incarcerated at Joyceville Institution near Kingston. In 2015 and again in 2016, Leone was granted several unescorted multi-day trips away from prison for “personal development” and to spend time with his family.

Leone was released to a halfway house in an undisclosed city in June 2017. In December 2017, his day parole was extended for another six months. He was also granted overnight leave privileges from the halfway house.

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Leone was granted full parole in November 2018 and moved back to Windsor to live with his family.

In its Jan. 4 letter, the parole board stated that Corrections Service Canada recommended removal of the condition that Leone abstain from alcohol. But he’s still subject to several other previously standing parole conditions.

While he’s now allowed to drink, Leone can’t hang out in bars and other drinking establishments.

He must also avoid any direct or indirect contact with his victims and their families. He must immediately report any friendships or intimate relationships with women to his parole supervisor, as well as any attempt to initiate sexual and non-sexual relationships with women.

He’s also barred from taking any recreational or non-prescribed drugs. The board states in the recent letter that, since his parole, Leone has abided by all the conditions with no known issues.

Leone is “assessed as having high levels of accountability, motivation and reintegration potential,” the parole board said.

“The Board notes you have matured and have made gains through the course of your sentence. You understand the harm your offending has caused the victims, and you are compliant with your medical regime.

“You have been crime free for many years.”

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