A St. John’s man is facing the prospect of a life sentence today if he’s declared a dangerous offender.

Thirty-four-year Stephen Hopkins has been convicted of sexually assaulting a teenage girl in her Cowan Heights home in 2020.

He forced himself inside the house, physically and sexually assaulted the girl, then threatened to kill her if she told anyone.

Hopkins was a registered sex offender at the time and had just served a sentence for assaulting female joggers on the Long Pond trail near Confederation Building in St. John’s.

Those incidents, and several others are being considered by Justice Peter O’Flaherty who will rule this afternoon if Hopkins should be subject to prison, or at least probation, for the rest of his life.

If deemed a dangerous offender, he would serve a minimum of seven years with a chance at parole every two years afterward. But he would remain in jail as long as he’s considered a high risk to re-offend, which experts have testified he is.

The last person deemed a dangerous offender in this province was serial rapist Sofyan Boalag in 2017.

Hopkins will learn his fate this afternoon in Supreme Court, and VOCM News will be there.