Police are warning the public about a convicted sex offender recently released from custody who is expected to move to Winnipeg.
Richard Kofie Asante, 34, was recently released from a maximum security federal institution in Edmonton after serving a partial sentence for sexual assault with a weapon and sexual assault involving choking, according to the Manitoba Integrated High Risk Sex Offender Unit, which provided the warning on July 10.
According to a press release from the unit, which is a partnership between the RCMP and the Winnipeg Police Service, Asante was granted statutory release on July 9 after serving just over three years at the Edmonton Institution with credit for almost three years of time served before sentencing.
“ASANTE has not completed sexual offender treatment. He remains high risk to sexually re-offend against adult females,” the news release reads, noting that Asante also has various past convictions including on two counts of forcible entry, breaches of probation, and failure to comply with recognizance orders.
Asante was released this week on a number of conditions including not using any alcohol or drugs, attending counselling, a 10-year weapons ban, and reporting to his parole supervisor about any friendships or relationships with women.
Asante was found guilty of sexual assault charges in June 2023, stemming from a 2021 incident with a woman he met up with who he had gotten to know via social media. After an argument arose, Asante choked the victim and put a knife to her throat as she screamed, proceeding to sexually assault her once she lost consciousness.
Police describe Asante as a black male with black hair and brown eyes, 5-foot-10 in height and around 200 pounds, as well as having a tattoo on his right wrist of playing cards and a tattoo on his right forearm reading “Sante.” Police noted Asante also has additional tattoos, including “King” and “Kofi” on his right wrist, and his right forearm has a Dragonball Z tattoo and a tattoo of the teenage mutant ninja turtle Leonardo.
Police said they are putting out the warning in order for the public to be aware of the potential threat posed by Asante and to “take suitable measures to protect themselves,” but said any vigilante actions against Asante “will not be tolerated.”
The number of sex offenders in Manitoba is not available to the public, as the National Sex Offender Registry is only able to be accessed by law enforcement. However, according to the latest data released by the Department of Justice in 2023, there were over 43,700 required to register as sex offenders in Canada.
The Winnipeg Police Service’s 2024 Statistical Report noted that last year saw a 75 percent increase in reported sexual assaults with a weapon compared to 2023, with 28 cases.
