ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — Convicted sex offender Stephen Hopkins, who was released from prison two months ago after serving a sentence for sexually assaulting two women on a St. John’s trail, is back behind bars, accused of attacking a teenage girl in her home Friday.
Original information indicated it was a woman who was allegedly attacked in her home, however, The Telegram has confirmed the victim is a teenage girl.
Hopkins, 29, is charged with forcing his way into a home in the Cowan Heights area of the city, forcibly confining the child and sexually assaulting her. He reportedly knocked on the door of the home and asked the girl for a glass of water before pushing his way inside and attacking her.
Hopkins is also facing two charges of breaching probation as well as a charge of violating his sex offender registration order a week after he was released from jail in July. Court documents indicate Hopkins didn’t report to a registration centre upon his release as required.
Hopkins attended provincial court by phone from the city lockup Monday afternoon and consented to be remanded — meaning he waived his bail hearing for the time being — until his next court appearance on Oct. 2.
“Remand is fine, that way I’ll be able to have my bail hearing later on, right?” Hopkins asked Judge Colin Flynn, who said yes.
In a criminal case where the Crown opposes an accused’s release from custody, the accused can request a bail hearing. Evidence is then presented by the Crown and defence lawyers to the judge, who then decides whether or not to release the person to await their next court date.
An accused person can agree to remain in custody until their next court appearance instead; this often happens if the person doesn’t have access to a surety or a suitable bail plan, or their circumstances are such that bail isn’t likely to be granted. A person who agrees to be remanded is able to change their mind and have a bail hearing later, but will earn credit for the time they spend in jail that can be applied to their sentence if they are eventually found guilty.
That’s what happened in Hopkins’ case in July, when he was sentenced for sexually assaulting women jogging on the Long Pond trail in St. John’s in August 2019, among other charges. Hopkins had been in custody since his arrest and was sentenced to time served, two years of probation, a 10-year firearms ban and registration as a sex offender for 10 years.
Hopkins had grabbed the women from behind when he sexually assaulted them. One of them told the court in a victim impact statement at his sentencing that she is a changed person since Hopkins attacked her, and she described living in fear.
On Monday, Hopkins told the judge he wanted to speak to someone about filing an appeal of that conviction.
“I’ve been out for a month and a half. I want to file an appeal and I called Legal Aid for advice on how to go about that, but I never heard back from anyone,” Hopkins said. “I don’t want matters to be confused.”
Hopkins made headlines in 2014 when he was acquitted of charges of aggravated assault and assault with a weapon after a trial in Newfoundland and Labrador Supreme Court. The presiding judge ruled Hopkins had acted in self-defence when he used the blade of a utility knife to stab a man who was beating him.
Hopkins said he had been walking on Frecker Drive in Cowan Heights when he saw the man, whom he didn’t know, arguing with his girlfriend on the other side of the street. Hopkins said he intervened and told the man to “have more respect” for the woman.
