Convicted rapist who attacked Newfoundland women dies in custody of Ontario prison

ST. JOHN’S — A man convicted of raping two women and a 15-year-old girl in downtown St. John’s, N.L., died in federal custody on Saturday.

Correctional Service Canada says Sofyan Boalag was 46 years old and serving an indeterminate sentence at the Bath Institution, about 20 kilometres west of Kingston, Ont.

A spokesperson said privacy laws prevented the agency from saying how Boalag died or whether his death was in hospital.

Boalag attacked his victims as they walked home alone at night and was convicted in 2016 of 13 crimes including sexual assault with a weapon.

Before he was arrested, his actions prompted local police to issue a public warning to women about walking alone after dark.

In January, Boalag filed a Federal Court lawsuit alleging he’d been stabbed in 2023 by a fellow inmate in Renous, N.B., and that he would never walk again because of his injuries.

This report by The Canadian Press was first published Nov. 4, 2025.

The Canadian Press