Weirdly, I wrote this article before the latest 'jail break' from William Head on Vancouver Island. The escape of Francis Sykes, convicted of murder in 1950 became one of the first major incidents to tarnish the reputation of the “open” penitentiary. #yyj #yyjhistory #westshore #williamhead
"I'm Sorry to Ruin the Good Record of William Head Penitentiary" 1959
The escape of murderer Francis Sykes
open.substack.com
July 2, 2026 at 2:41 PM
Weirdly, I wrote this article before the latest 'jail break' from William Head on Vancouver Island. The escape of Francis Sykes, convicted of murder in 1950 became one of the first major incidents to tarnish the reputation of the “open” penitentiary. #yyj #yyjhistory #westshore #williamhead