Calgary police charge man in 2006 Forest Heights sexual assault cold case after DNA match
A DNA match led police to charge a man, now 34 or 35, in a 2006 aggravated sexual assault on an 18-year-old woman. He was 14 at the time and cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The day's top stories, food & events — every morning at 7. Unsubscribe anytime.
Calgary police have charged a man, now 34 or 35, with one count of aggravated sexual assault in a 2006 attack on an 18-year-old woman in Forest Heights. Canada has no time limit on reporting a sexual assault, and police are asking anyone who believes they were a victim to come forward, however long ago it happened.
The attack happened around 4:30 a.m. On Aug. 6, 2006, on a school field in the 500 block of 47th Street S.E. The woman was walking through the field when a man riding a bicycle attacked her. Evidence was sent to the RCMP for forensic testing, and the DNA profile went into the National DNA Data Bank that year. A match reached investigators on Sept. 21, more than two decades after the attack. The match is linked to a person now in custody for unrelated offences. He was 14 at the time of the attack, so he cannot be identified under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
CPS Staff Sgt. Tom Hanson, in a police statement issued Monday, said: "We never stop pursuing answers for victims of sexual assault, no matter how much time has passed." He added: "Unsolved doesn't mean forgotten."
The accused is scheduled to appear in court on Dec. 18. The material contains no response from the accused, his lawyer, or the defence, and does not say whether he has entered a plea. The charge has not been tested in court.
Tips can go to 403-266-1234, to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online, or through the P3 Tips app, which allows anonymous reports.
