John David Lashbrook, 55, was arrested April 4 following an incident a month earlier where would-be Calgary Roughnecks cheerleaders were trying out at a youth event.

He allegedly spent four hours watching the group of four- to eight-year-olds, 60 to 70 in all, who were attempting to win spots in a Roughnecks youth promotion event.

In his written ruling Friday ordering Lashbrook’s release, provincial court Judge Terry Semenuk noted a security guard reported the accused was “fixating on the young girls.”

The guard, who reported the behaviour to his supervisor, said at one time Lashbrook appeared to touch one of the girls on the shoulder as he got up to go to the bathroom.

But defence lawyer Patrick Flynn, who argued for his client’s release, said Lashbrook denies he was in the gym for four hours, saying he only walked through it to go to the washroom.

Flynn also said Lashbrook is a member of the Golden Age Club where the tryouts occurred and did not expect to see a large group of minors in attendance.

Lashbrook is serving a 10-year, long-term supervision order he was handed in Saskatoon after he was convicted in 2008 of sexual assault.

He was found to be a long-term offender and ordered to be under the watch of probation after serving the equivalent of a five-year prison term.

One of the conditions of his release is that he have no unsupervised contact with minors.

Semenuk agreed with Crown prosecutor Iwona Kuklicz there is a risk Lashbrook may reoffend, but said that danger could be reduced by strict bail conditions.

Kuklicz noted Lashbrook has a history of sexual offences, including three involving children.

Semenuk released Lashbrook on a $3,000, non-cash bail and imposed 23 conditions on his freedom, including a 10 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew and a ban from going to public places where children are likely to congregate.