The man who abducted a three-year-old Sparwood boy and ignited one of the largest manhunts in East Kootenay history in 2011 was today (Nov. 29) sentenced to seven years in prison in Cranbrook Provincial Court.

Randall Hopley is sentenced to six years in prison and declared a long-term offender for the four-day abduction of three-year-old Kienan Hebert. He is sentenced to one year in prison for a break-and-enter in Alberta, reported CBC’s Bob Keating today.

However, Hopley is being given 26 months credit for incarceration while awaiting trial, and will serve a total of five more years in jail.

Hopley’s long-term offender status means he will be supervised for 10 years following his release. It is a lighter judgment than a ‘dangerous offender.’

“Justice Heather Holmes ruled Friday that Hopley is not a dangerous offender. Had he been ruled a dangerous offender, Hopley would have been given an indefinite prison sentence,” Keating and CBC reported.

“Defence lawyer William Thorne told the court that although Hopley abducted Kienan Hebert in the dead of the night, he did not physically harm the boy. Thorne recommended 48-year-old Hopley, who has a below-average I.Q., be handed a two-year federal sentence.

“Although Hopley has abducted and assaulted children in the past, Holmes indicated she believes he stands a chance at rehabilitation,” Keating noted. “The Hebert family has shown unprecedented compassion to Hopley and even sent him a greeting card wishing him well while he was awaiting trial,” he concluded in his report.

Above photo: Randall Hopley is escorted from Cranbrook Court Sept. 14, 2011 following his first court appearance after his capture and arrest in Crowsnest Pass. Ian Cobb/e-KNOW

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