Junction residents call for more transparency after sex offenders arrest

Apprehension is growing over the process of reintegrating sex offenders into the community following the recent arrest of a 34-year-old man in one Toronto neighbourhood.

Lucas Petrini was arrested on March 5 by Toronto police after allegedly approaching several children between February 13 and March 3, 2025, in the Annette Street, Pacific Avenue, Humberside Avenue and High Park areas.

Petrini was convicted of kidnapping and repeatedly sexually assaulting a nine-year-old boy at knifepoint in Brampton in 2008. He was sentenced to 10 years in prison and released in 2018 with a 10-year long-term supervision order. The community was not notified, as Canada’s national sex offender registry is not public.

“Having someone like that who’s a repeat offender in the community with so many schools and so many kids, to me it’s just …it’s wrong that there’s not some kind of communication about this,” one area resident tells The Leader Spirit.

“You don’t have a right to privacy if you’re going to hurt children. You lost your right,” said another.

The registry is only accessible to Canadian law enforcement agencies like the Toronto police. Residents tell The Leader Spirit the police should have done something such as notify the public.

But Toronto Police say that’s not their job; rather they enforce the law like they did by arresting Petrini when he allegedly breached his conditions and committed new offences.

“Decisions regarding the release and supervision of offenders are made by the justice system, which determines whether and under what conditions an individual can live in the community,” read a statement from police.

The Correctional Service of Canada is responsible for monitoring offenders released into the community on long-term supervision orders and tells The Leader Spirit that police were notified about Petrini. However, according to the Sex Offender Information Registration Act, due to the privacy interests of sex offenders, disclosure of information is restricted.

Shannon Moroney, a victim advocate and trauma therapist, says improvement is needed within the justice system.

“So we typically have people who have committed sexual offenses that have been convicted and done a prison term coming back to the community and expected to be successful by controlling their behavior, but typically never having had any treatment,” she tells The Leader Spirit.

“A large federal institution in Ontario would have maybe four to 600 sexual offenders and they might have one part time psychologist.”

Petrini was scheduled to have a bail hearing on March 12, but it was postponed until March 26. He remains in custody.