Six charged in string of B.C. sex assaults

UBC campus among sites of attacks

SURREY — Six males including a youth have been charged with multiple sexual assaults on the University of British Columbia campus in Vancouver and in three other communities.

RCMP detachments in North Vancouver, Burnaby and at UBC joined forces with the Vancouver Police Department and Transit Police to investigate the alleged offences between March 2015 and April 30 this year.

Vancouver police Supt. Mike Porteous said Wednesday that a number of brave women came forward to report the difficult and horrific details of the surprise attacks, including some cases where an assailant broke into their homes. Women “should feel safe to walk, work, and go about their business without being victimized or concerned for their safety,” he said.

Police said the RCMP’s Behavioural Science Unit analyzed several years’ worth of data to search for “predatory criminals.”

RCMP Chief Supt. Jodie Boudreau said anyone who has been a victim of a sexual assault should contact police immediately to get the help they need to deal with the trauma.

“These crimes justifiably scared people living and working in those communities,” she said.

Police said tips from the public helped capture the accused attackers. One man faces a number of charges, including sexual assault causing bodily harm, robbery and disguising his face with intent to commit an offence in connection with an alleged assault in the UBC area on Apri 30.

Another man has been charged with intent to commit sexual assault for the same incident.

A youth is facing multiple charges, including two counts of sexual assault, for offences allegedly committed in Vancouver over four days in March.

The other accused attackers include three men facing more than 10 charges for unrelated alleged assaults in Vancouver, North Vancouver and Burnaby.