A crowd of people came together outside a St. Catharines courthouse on Wednesday, where a man facing charges for sexually and physically assaulting a toddler from Welland was due for a bail hearing.
The group included parents of a child who had been assaulted by the same individual, all advocating for reforms in the criminal justice system.
With petitions in hand and calls for change echoing, dozens gathered at the St. Catharines courthouse on Wednesday morning to protest ahead of the scheduled bail hearing for the man accused of violently assaulting a Welland toddler last month.
One rally attendee expressed their frustration: “because enough is enough. Children shouldn’t have to live in fear of their safety or sanity – the laws need to change.”
Another protester added, “We’re just not being listened to. I think that our children need to be protected.”
Daniel Senecal, 25 years old, faces six charges including aggravated assault and sexual interference with someone under 16, breaking and entering, choking, and assault.
Niagara police allege that Senecal entered the home of the 3-year-old child during the night in Welland.
These allegations are yet to be proven in court.
Senecal was supposed to appear at St. Catharines court on Wednesday; however, that date has been rescheduled to November.
This individual is already listed as a registered sex offender after being convicted last year for sexually assaulting a 12-year-old boy in 2021 and receiving an 18-month jail sentence.
He was released early and was still on probation when the alleged incident occurred.
WATCH MORE: Community rallies in St. Catharines following Welland child sexual assault
A petition was started by community members following this distressing news, calling for more accountability from the criminal justice system.
“Change the legislation, reform bail practices so that sexual predators remain behind bars – it’s short enough as it is,” stated Brad Ulch, who organized the petition.
To date, over 14,000 individuals have signed it with expectations to reach nearly 30,000 by next week when Niagara South MP Fred Davies plans to present it in Parliament.
“In this particular horrific case in Welland, we see that we need to put a stop to early release especially for sexual offenders against children,” said Davies.
Additionally, some protesters were advocating for Ontario’s sexual offender registry to become public information.
This change could have made a difference according to one survivor of childhood sexual assault.
“With what happened to me, a registered sex offender was let into my home,” said Lizz Emerson, an advocate for victims of sexual assault. “I didn’t know – I was a child; if those around me had known how to protect me better maybe my childhood could have been spared.”
This battle is deeply personal for many involved.
CHCH News spoke with the mother of a child who was assaulted by Senecal back in 2021. To protect her family’s identities CHCH News blurred her face and altered her voice during the interview.
“I feel like it failed; our voices weren’t heard,” shared the mother.
She expressed disbelief upon learning that her child’s assailant would be released from jail early.
“He’s coming around but isn’t fully healed,” she continued. “Now with this traumatic situation happening again he’s going backwards and I’m worried about that.” She hopes changes will come within the justice system so incidents like this don’t happen again.
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She expressed disbelief upon learning that her child’s assailant would be released from jail early.
“He’s coming around but isn’t fully healed,” she continued. “Now with this traumatic situation happening again he’s going backwards and I’m worried about that.” She hopes changes will come within the justice system so incidents like this don’t happen again.
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