Public assistance sought in sexual assault investigation
Sexual assault investigators with the Ontario Provincial Police and the Toronto Police Service seek the public’s assistance with an ongoing multi-jurisdictional investigation into two reports of sexual assault, one in Collingwood and one in Toronto.
On Tuesday, July 28, 2015, at approximately 1 a.m., in the Dufferin Street and Rogers Road area of Toronto, it is alleged that a 23-year-old woman was approached from behind, dragged into a laneway and sexually assaulted.
On Jan. 1, 2017 Collingwood OPP responded to a report that a female victim had been pulled into a vehicle and sexually assaulted. The incident occurred at approximately 1:20 a.m. on Birch Street and Second Street.
Police have been able to identify commonalities in both investigations: The suspect, known to frequent the Collingwood and Toronto areas, is a man in his mid-20s to mid-30s, Approximately 5’6” tall with medium build, brown skin, and a neatly trimmed beard.
In Collingwood on New Year’s Eve, the suspect had access to, or was in possession of a light coloured four-door sedan with black steel winter style rims.
Police from the Toronto Police Service Sex Crimes and the OPP Criminal Investigation Branch have also set up a tip line (phone and e-mail) to assist with the investigation into these sexual assaults. Anyone with information about this man is asked to contact the investigating police services at 1-844-478-5656 or OPP.TPS.TipLine@opp.ca. The public can also report anonymously through Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or online at www.222tips.com.
Police are asking victims of sexual assault to come forward and make a report by calling the Toronto Police Service at 416-808-2222 or, if you live in a community policed by the OPP, please call 1-888-310-1122.
For more information and resources, including the Guide for Sexual Assault Survivors, visit www.opp.ca or the Toronto Police Service website, www.torontopolice.on.ca.
