MONTREAL, Oct. 11 (UPI) -- A Canadian who helped set a fire that killed 37 people in 1972 has been granted a full parole, officials said.
James O'Brien has been in and out of jail since he and his cohorts were released in 1983, The (Montreal) Gazette reported.
O'Brien was one of three men who set a fire in a stairway leading to a country and western bar in 1972. He pleaded guilty to one count of second-degree murder and was sentenced to life.
His latest offense was for impaired driving in 2008.
He was granted day parole in May 2009 but Canada's National Parole Board was reluctant to grant him full release as he worked to control his drinking, the report said.
In a written summary granting O'Brien full parole, the board said "on multiple occasions you have become a mortal danger to society as you have developed the habit of driving under the influence."
The parole board ordered O'Brien, now 61, to attend Alcoholics Anonymous meetings and get alcohol counseling for six months. It also prohibited him from entering bars.
