Critics are questioning how a man known for disappearing on police was granted bail in 2022 when an investigation revealed he was in possession of child pornography for the purpose of publishing, as well as charges of sexual assault of a minor and sexual interference.
Forty-five-year-old Justin Radcliffe is on the run after failing to show up for court. A Canada-wide warrant was issued for him this past week.
This is reportedly the third time he has gone missing, and residents of Grande Prairie are demanding to know why the authorities did not release or update the pending charges to the public until now.
On July 17, 2022, police received a report of an assault on a minor, and images related to the incident were published. The RCMP spent the next two days investigating the complaint and laid a series of charges against Radcliffe on July 19.
Radcliffe was arrested and charged with:
- Possession of child pornography
- Accessing child pornography (x2)
- Possession of child pornography for the purpose of publishing
- Sexual assault
- Sexual interference
- Voyeurism
He was released for court but failed to appear.
Since the Canada-wide warrant was issued, it has come to light that Radcliffe was listed in a missing persons report in April 2023, September 27, 2024, and again on September 13, 2024. At the time the missing persons reports were published, no information about the charges relating to the sexual assault of a minor and child pornography was disclosed.
The RCMP has since acknowledged that they used the missing persons system to try and track down Radcliffe. RCMP Cpl. Patrick McPhee stated, “At times, there was genuine concern for his wellbeing.”
When police lost track of Radcliffe, they posted a missing persons notice to help locate him.
Cpl. McPhee noted that the suspect has presented “challenges” because of his release from custody and his transient lifestyle. Radcliffe is known to travel to other Canadian cities, including frequent visits to Kelowna and Falkland, B.C.
Radcliffe has brown hair and brown eyes and stands 5’5″, weighing 170 pounds. If you identify him or know of his whereabouts, do not approach him but contact police immediately.
Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call the Grande Prairie RCMP at 780-830-5700 or their local police. If you wish to remain anonymous, you can contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS), online at www.P3Tips.com, or by using the “P3 Tips” app.
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