Police take rare step of releasing images of teen boy allegedly responsible for sex assaults on Toronto trails
Editor’s note: Judicial authorization to release an image of the suspect in this offence has expired and the image has therefor been removed from this story
Police have taken the rare step of releasing images of a teenage boy who they believe is responsible for as many as four sexual assaults on trails in Toronto.
In a news release issued Thursday, investigators said they had been granted judicial authorization to share the images in an effort to identify the suspect.
All four of the alleged assaults occurred last month and the victim in each instance is a woman.
- Download our app to get local alerts to your device
- Get the latest local updates right to your inbox
Police said the first two attacks occurred on the Gatineau Hydro Corridor Trail, near Birchmount Road, on July 7 and July 8 at approximately 5:50 p.m. and 4:59 p.m., respectively.
In both of those incidents, police allege the suspect stopped each of his victims with his bicycle as they were travelling along the trail and sexually assaulted them.
Police said the second set of assaults happened on July 22 and July 23 on the East Don Valley Trail near Wynford Drive and Sloane Avenue.
Police said during the incident on July 22, the teenager began talking to his 54-year-old victim and asked her for water while she was walking on the trail. He then sexually assaulted her and rode away on his bicycle, police said.
In the July 23 incident, the suspect allegedly assaulted a 52-year-old woman from behind who was walking along the trail before he rode off in an unknown direction.
Following an investigation into all four incidents, police said last week they believe the same teenager is responsible for each alleged assault.
He is described by police as standing five-foot-five inches tall, with a thin build and short brown or light-blond hair.
- READ MORE: Toronto police believe same teenage boy responsible for 4 sex assaults on east-end trails
In images released by investigators on Thursday, the suspect appears to be wearing a red t-shirt, black shorts, while wearing a “distinctive brown camouflage-like design” backpack and riding a dark mountain bike.
Youth offenders can typically not be identified by police under the terms of the Youth Criminal Justice Act. However, a judicial authorization gives investigators the ability to share the images released today in hopes of identifying the suspect.
The authorization will expire on Monday at 12 p.m.
Anyone with information related to the investigation is asked to contact police at 416-808-4100 or Crime Stoppers.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
Spectacular aurora light show to be seen across Canada Friday night
A rare and severe solar storm is expected to bring spectacular displays of the northern lights, also known as aurora borealis, across much of Canada and parts of the United States on Friday night.
'Tactical evacuations' underway near Fort Nelson, B.C., as wildfires encroach
The BC Wildfire Service says 'tactical evacuations' began Friday near Fort Nelson, B.C., due to an out-of-control wildfire that has grown rapidly since it was discovered earlier in the afternoon.
Snowbirds in Vancouver for puck-drop flyby as Canucks face Oilers
The Canadian Forces Snowbirds will be performing a flyover across downtown Vancouver at the start of tonight's Stanley Cup playoff game between the Canucks and the Edmonton Oilers.
McGill University seeks emergency injunction to dismantle pro-Palestinian encampment
McGill University has filed a request for an injunction to have the pro-Palestinian encampment removed from its campus.
Which Canadian cities have the highest and lowest grocery prices?
Where you live plays a big factor in what you pay at the grocery store. And while it's no secret the same item may have a different price depending on the store, city or province, we wanted to see just how big the differences are, and why.
Swarm of 20,000 bees gather around woman’s car west of Toronto
A swarm of roughly 20,000 bees gathered around a woman’s car in the parking lot of Burlington Centre.
Video shows naked raccoon catching B.C. family by surprise
When Marvin Henschel spotted a strange and hairless creature wandering through a front lawn in B.C.'s Lower Mainland, he could barely believe his eyes.
Barron Trump declines to serve as an RNC delegate
Former U.S. President Donald Trump's youngest son, Barron Trump, has declined to serve as a delegate at this summer’s Republican National Convention, according to a senior Trump campaign adviser and a statement from Melania Trump's office.
Out-of-control wildfire prompts evacuation alert for Fort McMurray, Saprae Creek Estates Friday night
An evacuation alert was issued for two Wood Buffalo communities Friday night, as crews battled an out-of-control wildfire near Fort McMurray.