A 44-year-old man has been charged after a teenage girl was allegedly sexually assaulted at a school in North York on Tuesday morning.
Toronto police said that officers were called to a school near Bayview and Cummer avenues around 11 a.m.
Police allege that a man entered the building and went inside the girl’s washroom. A 16-year-old girl entered the same washroom and when she attempted to leave, police say the man blocked her path and sexually assaulted her.
Investigators said the girl screamed, alerting staff of the incident. The school staff immediately came to help the victim and proceeded to contact police.
A spokesperson for the Toronto Catholic District School Board said that St. Joseph Morrow Park Secondary School was placed in lockdown for a short period of time on Tuesday due to the police investigation.
“According to the police report, an individual not known to the school community entered the building and assaulted a student,” Emma Iscaro, a communications officer with the school board, said in a statement issued Wednesday.
“Although situations such as this are thankfully very rare, we know they can be upsetting. Supports have been in place for students and staff at the school since yesterday, and these will continue as long as needed. Because this is the subject of an ongoing police investigation, we are not able to provide any further comment at this time.”
In a news release issued Wednesday, police said that a suspect identified as Edison Diamante has been charged with forcible confinement, assault, and sexual assault in connection with the investigation.
He made a brief appearance in court Wednesday morning and was remanded into police custody. He is scheduled to appear in court again on Thursday.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to contact police or reach out to Crime Stoppers anonymously.
