A violent serial rapist, sentenced to 20 years in prison after his last victim in Belleville, has decided to make Kingston his home.

Alexander Casselman, 56, appeared in Kingston’s Ontario Court of Justice on Friday, the day he was released from penitentiary, and voluntarily entered into a two-year public safety peace bond requested by Kingston Police after they learned he’s decided to take up residence on Montreal Street.

Casselman served every day of his sentence and assistant Crown attorney Elisabeth Foxton said he refused to participate in sex offender treatment while in prison.

She told Justice Allan Letourneau that his last prison assessment, in January 2013 ranked him as having a high risk of re-offending. She also disclosed that Casselman once told a correctional officer that he was going to go on "a killing spree" when he got out and would become known as "the phone book killer," because he intended to randomly select a page and murder the people listed until he was caught and sent back to the penitentiary.

Casselman was 36 the last time he was able to walk free in 1994 and already had an extensive criminal rap sheet reaching back to 1977. It includes at least nine burglary convictions; a variety of other crimes including drinking driving, common assault and thefts; two indecent assaults, one conviction for having sexual intercourse with a 12-year-old; a sexual assault on a former girlfriend in the mid-1980s that included an extended, gratuitous beating and demand that she write him a cheque for $4,000, which she did even though she didn’t have that kind of money; and the aggravated sexual assault on a 74-year-old Belleville woman that resulted in his 20-year sentence.

The victim of his last crime had thought Casselman was a friend, according to Foxton. But on the day he decided to prey on her, the senior opened her apartment door to his knock and was immediately attacked.

During the vicious beating and rape that followed he even used her cane to batter her face and head, inflicting severe injuries that sent her to hospital.

And after he was done, Foxton said Casselman attempted to set the woman’s apartment on fire with her still in it.

It was only later learned that at the time of the attack — about 10 days before Christmas 1994 — there had been a Canada-wide warrant out for Casselman for most of that year.

In February 1994, he’d been released in British Columbia on parole from an eight year sentence he’d been serving and almost immediately he’d disappeared. British Columbia issued its warrant for his arrest only three days after he’d walked out of prison, after he failed to report to his parole officer.

Belleville Police weren’t alerted however, even though Casselman, at the time, was believed to have family living in the area.

Under the terms of the peace bond he signed Friday, Casselman is required to report weekly to Kingston Police Det. Brian McCormick or his designate and must observe a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. daily curfew, unless he’s working or specifically authorized by Kingston Police to be absent from his residence.

He must keep police informed at all times of where he’s living and his phone number and report any change in either within 24 hours. Likewise, if he obtains employment, he’s obliged to report where he’s working and when to police, as well as any subsequent changes in his employment status within 24 hours of its occurrence.

He’s forbidden from possessing firearms and other weapons, can’t drink alcohol while subject to the peace bond, and is specifically forbidden from possessing or using street drugs.

If he plans to leave Kinston for any reason, Justice Letourneau has ordered that Casselman must notify Kingston Police 24 hours in advance of going and he must provide an itinerary of his trip.

He must also inform Det. McCormick of his personal contacts and identify anyone with whom he’s contemplating a relationship or cohabitation, so the detective can ensured they’re aware of his background.

Casselman is forbidden contact with anyone under 16, except under the supervision of an informed adult pre-approved by McCormick and he’s strictly forbidden from being in various public places where children under 16 are or are likely to be present such as school grounds, parks and swimming areas.

He can’t work in any capacity, paid or unpaid that would place him in a position of trust or authority over persons under 16.

He’s forbidden, as well, from associating with anyone he knows to have a criminal record or to be involved in a criminal lifestyle. And violating any of his peace bond conditions would be a criminal offence that could send him back to jail.

sue.yanagisawa@sunmedia.ca