Nanaimo man with 174 convictions released again, sparking public safety concerns

Aiden Tye, 41, has 174 criminal convictions including 81 violent offences. His latest release has prompted calls for mandatory care legislation in B.C.

Nanaimo's most-convicted resident walks free again

Global News Crime reports that Aiden Tye, 41, described as "Nanaimo's most prolific criminal," has been released from custody, drawing renewed alarm from local residents and businesses.

Tye was arrested in January for assaulting a coffee shop owner. He now carries 174 criminal convictions — 81 of them violent — among them an incident in which he threw a brick at a pregnant woman. In July 2024, a string of aggressive outbursts at local businesses led to an earlier arrest.

Public safety advocate Kevin Shaw says Tye is an obvious candidate for secure, involuntary care. "If this person is not in a jail setting, they need to be in some sort of involuntary complex care because they can't cope with life and we cannot have someone like this causing literally mayhem over and over and over and over again," Shaw said.

BC Conservative Leader Lorne Doerksen stated in a social media post that, if elected premier, he would "amend the Mental Health Act so police can get someone like this into mandatory treatment."

The BC NDP and BC Greens did not respond by the deadline for comment on this specific case.

Source: Global News Crime