Duncan teen’s sex-assault claim was false, police say

A report of a sexual assault on a 14-year-old girl in Duncan on Thursday has turned out to be false, North Cowichan/Duncan RCMP said Friday.

A 40-year-old man who was arrested has been released.

The Cowichan Secondary student told police that on Thursday afternoon, she was grabbed by a stranger, pulled into a business on York Road near James Street and assaulted. She said she broke away and then reported the incident to school staff.

“This allegation was treated seriously and investigated thoroughly over the last 24 hours,” Sgt. Chris Swain said Friday evening. “It has been proven that this reported sexual assault did not take place.”

The RCMP did not say why the 40-year-man was implicated.

One business owner who spoke to the Times Colonist on Friday expressed concern with some of the reported details, suggesting the assault never happened.

The Cowichan Valley school district put shuttles in place on Friday to bus students between the high school’s main campus and the Quamichan campus in response to the assault allegation, since the girl had said she was walking between the campuses at the time of the incident.

It’s unclear if the school district will continue to offer the shuttles.

Before the attack claim was revealed to be unfounded, Rod Allen, superintendent of the Cowichan Valley School District, said the district had worked with RCMP to ensure there is a greater police presence in the York Road corridor, and school district staff were monitoring the area during the lunch hour.

Jessica Castle, 14, told the Times Colonist she welcomed the shuttle, saying she avoids walking alone along York Road because of problems with homelessness and drug use in the area.

“I think [the shuttle] is a great idea, because Duncan is a pretty scary place for young people, so having a bus there is a safe way to get around,” Castle said.

Sarah Senkow, a Duncan mother, said there are public-safety problems in the area that have not been addressed.

She set up a Facebook page Thursday night called Cowichan Peaceful Protest to raise her concerns, and 800 people joined the group. Some parents wrote open letters expressing concerns for the safety of their teens.

“I think the police are doing as much as they can with what they have, same as the school district,” she said. “But I don’t think we have the resources to deal with this issue.”