Photographer faces three more sex assault charges
TORONTO — Charges are piling up against a 37-year-old photographer after yet another young woman came forward claiming she was sexually assaulted while posing for pictures.
Police say five women have now complained about inappropriate sexual behaviour while modelling at the man's downtown studio.
"It's encouraging to see more women have come forward," Const. Wendy Drummond said Monday.
Police went public with the original complaints from t wo young women a couple of weeks ago.
The first woman came forward May 28. She told police she attended a photography studio operated out of an apartment on Mar. 6, 2011.
While she was there, she claims she was sexually assaulted.
As police investigated that initial complaint, they allege a second victim was "identified."
She says she was sexually assaulted as a 17-year-old while modelling at the same downtown studio on t wo occasions in May 2008.
Ryan Chamberlain, 37, of Toronto, was subsequently arrested and charged with t wo counts of sexual assault and one count of sexual exploitation.
Since his arrest, three other women have come forward with similar allegations, Drummond said, adding the accused now faces three more sexual assault charges.
One woman claims Chamberlain sexually assaulted her in 2009 when she was 21. Another claims he sexually assaulted her at the studio in 2010 and 2011.
Most recently, the fifth woman came forward alleging he sexually assaulted her three times while posing for photos at the studio between Oct. 1 and Dec. 31, 2009, when she was 18.
Drummond said victims of sex crimes often don't talk about their assault right away.
"It's a very personal crime," she said. "It can take days, or even years, for someone to come to terms with what has happened to them."
"And it can be even longer before they come forward and tell somebody, especially law enforcement," Drummond added.
Investigators remain concerned about the possibility of other victims.
"We're urging anyone who has had dealings with the accused, or who has information regarding this case, to come forward and talk to us," Drummond said.