Toronto lawyer, 32, charged with sexual assaults on teens

Police say arrest is connected to a series of attacks on girls near Yonge and Eglinton

Toronto police have arrested a 32-yearold lawyer in connection with a series of sexual assaults against teenage girls in the Yonge and Eglinton area earlier this month.

Three of the four alleged incidents happened in crowded areas on the same day. Investigators are concerned there may be more victims.

According to police, the first incident occurred on the morning of Sept.12, when a 15-year-old girl was allegedly assaulted near Yonge St. and Eglinton Ave. at about 8 a.m.

Police say the incident was repeated, with the same victim, on Sept. 16, as the girl was standing outside the Eglinton subway station.

“I don’t believe this is a coincidence,” said Det.-Const. Matt Pinfold, of the Toronto police sex crimes unit. “I believe he targeted her.”

At about 12:30 p.m. the same day, police say, a man approached and sexually assaulted a 14-year-old girl in a food court near the same intersection.

That evening, at about 8:30 p.m., a 16year-old girl was sexually assaulted at the Bloor-Yonge subway station, as she was walking upstairs between platforms.

The man fled after a witness confronted him, disappearing into a crowd of people exiting a train, police say.

“This male was captured on video surveillance,” Pinfold said.

Photos of that surveillance footage were released on Sept. 18.

One shows a brown-haired, clean-shaven man with a medium build wearing a pink dress shirt, dark trousers and dress shoes.

Another depicts a similar looking man in a red polo shirt, navy blue shorts and brown sandals.

Pinfold said investigators used CCTV footage and public tips to track the man back to a business he visited over the lunch hour near Yonge and Eglinton.

Francois Lesieur, 32, a lawyer, was arrested on Sept. 25 and faces four charges of sexual assault. He is currently out on bail, with his next court appearance slated for Nov. 3.

Pinfold declined to discuss the nature of the assaults. “I can tell you that the victims did not sustain any physical injuries as a result,” he said.

Pinfold urged any other possible victims to call the sex crimes unit at 416-808-7474.