Winnipeg police issue warning after high-risk sex offender released
WINNIPEG — The Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit has issued a community notification after Richard Kofie Asante, 35, was released on statutory release and is expected to live in Winnipeg. Police say Asante is a convicted sex offender who is considered high risk to sexually reoffend, and they warned that adult females are at risk.
Police say Asante has been released to Winnipeg under supervision
The Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit, a joint unit of the Winnipeg Police Service and RCMP, said Asante was released from Stony Mountain Institution on April 2 after serving part of his sentence. Police said he had previously been released on statutory release on July 9, 2025, before that release was revoked on Dec. 2, 2025. Under the Corrections and Conditional Release Act, federal offenders are generally entitled to statutory release after serving two-thirds of a sentence, and they remain under supervision while in the community. The law also allows statutory release to be suspended or revoked to protect society or respond to breaches.
Police said Asante has not completed sex offender treatment and remains high risk to sexually reoffend against adult females. The public notice says he is expected to reside in Winnipeg and is being identified so residents can take reasonable steps to protect themselves. Police also cautioned that vigilante activity or other unreasonable conduct toward him will not be tolerated.
Convictions stem from 2021 sexual assault case
According to police, Asante was convicted on June 19, 2023, of sexual assault with a weapon and sexual assault by choking, suffocating or strangling. He received a custodial sentence of three years, one month and three days, in addition to credit for pre-sentence custody.
Police said the offences dated back to July 9, 2021, after he met the victim through social media and later attacked her during an in-person meeting.
In legal terms, the Criminal Code provision most directly tied to those convictions is section 272, which covers sexual assault involving a weapon, threats, bodily harm, or choking, suffocating or strangling the complainant. It is an indictable offence. In cases that do not involve a firearm and do not involve a complainant under 16, the maximum sentence is 14 years in prison.
Release conditions include treatment, sobriety and no contact with victim
Police said Asante’s release conditions bar him from possessing or consuming alcohol or non-prescribed drugs, require him to follow a treatment plan addressing emotional regulation, substance abuse and violence, and require him to live where directed by Correctional Service Canada.
He is also barred from contacting the victim or associating with people he knows to be involved in criminal activity or substance abuse. Police said he must also immediately report all relationships and friendships with females, and any changes in those relationships, to his parole supervisor.
The police release also says Asante is subject to a 10-year weapons prohibition preventing him from possessing firearms, crossbows, prohibited weapons, restricted weapons, prohibited devices, ammunition or explosives.
Public asked to report information, not confront
Police described Asante as five-foot-10 and about 200 pounds, with black hair and brown eyes, and said he has several tattoos on his right forearm, wrist and upper arm. Anyone with information about him is asked to contact the Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit, Winnipeg Police Service, local RCMP or Manitoba Crime Stoppers.
This is a public safety notification, not a new criminal charge. The convictions are already before the courts, and the current police warning is intended to inform the public about his release and supervision status.
