Mail bomber loses parole-denial appeal

WINNIPEG — Convicted mail bomber Guido Amsel has lost his fight for full parole, after his appeal for release was shot down by the Parole Board of Canada.

In 2018, Amsel received a life sentence with no chance of parole for 10 years for the attempted murders of his ex-wife Iris Amsel and lawyers Maria Mitousis and George Orle in 2015 by mailing explosives to them. One of the bombs, placed inside a hand-held tape recorder with instructions to press the “play” button, exploded in Mitousis’s office, resulting in the loss of her right hand.

He was also sentenced to 12 years minus time served for an earlier attempt to murder his ex-wife in 2013.

He was 59 years old in August, when he appeared before the board to argue for full parole. Had it been granted, he would have been released from federal custody and deported to Germany, where he was born and lived for decades.

The board, however, denied his application, heeding a warning from a parole officer who believes Amsel continues to present a threat to the public in Canada and abroad.

Amsel appealed the decision, arguing the board was biased and made its decision based on erroneous or incomplete information. He accused the board of making an error in law by not properly calculating his sentence and parole eligibility, and said it acted without or beyond its jurisdiction.

After reviewing both the parole board’s written decision and an audio recording of the August hearing, the parole board’s appeal division found no basis for Amsel’s claims and upheld the ruling.

“The board acted within its discretion to make the determination that you presented an undue risk to society if released on full parole and that your release will not contribute to the protection of society by facilitating your reintegration into society as a law-abiding citizen,” reads a March 13 decision released to the Winnipeg Free Press.

In his appeal application, Amsel claimed he was “set up by the police” and spent several minutes trying to convince the board that forensic testing discovering explosive residue on his hands was incorrect.

He also said he believed he was denied parole because he has not confessed to the crime.

“You state that a confession is not a legal requirement before being released and could be considered a forced confession, which is unconstitutional,” the board decision said.

“Contrary to your claim that the board only (focused) on your lack of a confession, the appeal division finds that the board considered several factors in making its decision.”

Amsel has demonstrated a “generally positive institutional behaviour” and has not been found to be using drugs or other substances while in custody. As a result, his incarceration security level has been reduced from maximum to medium. The board considered those developments as mitigating factors in favour of parole.

However, aggravating factors included the serious and dangerous nature of his crimes, the high level of planning involved, the harm to the victims and his persistent tendency to minimize, deny and deflect the blame of the offences onto others.

“The appeal division finds there is nothing in the board’s decision, or in the manner in which the board managed the hearing, that would lead an informed, thoughtful, realistic and objective person to conclude the board could not make a fair decision,” the ruling said.

According to the Criminal Code, violent offenders who are denied full parole once eligible must receive another hearing within five years from the date of their denial.

» Winnipeg Free Press