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
There's actually no such thing as vegetables. Here's why you should eat them anyway
The rumours are true: Vegetables aren't real — that is, in botany, anyway. While the term fruit is recognized botanically as anything that contains a seed or seeds, vegetable is actually a broad umbrella term.
BREAKING Israeli forces seize Rafah border crossing in Gaza, putting ceasefire talks on knife's edge
Israeli tanks seized control of Gaza’s vital Rafah border crossing on Tuesday as Israel brushed off urgent warnings from close allies and moved into the southern city even as ceasefire negotiations with Hamas remained on a knife’s edge.
The Met Gala was in full bloom with Zendaya, Jennifer Lopez, Mindy Kaling among the standout stars
The Met Gala and its fashionista A-listers on Monday included Jennifer Lopez, Zendaya and a parade of others in a swirl of flora and fauna looks on a green-tinged carpet lined by live foliage.
Canadian cadets rock mullets and place second at U.S. military competition
Sporting mullets, Canadian Armed Forces officer cadets placed second in an annual military skills competition in the U.S.
'It looked so legit': Ontario man books $7,700 luxury villa on Booking.com, but the listing was fake
An Ontario man says he was charged more than $7,700 to book a luxury villa on a popular travel website -- but the listing was fake.
Noelia Voigt resigns as Miss USA, citing her mental health
Noelia Voigt, who was crowned Miss USA in November 2023, has announced she is resigning from her role, saying the decision is in the best interest of her mental health.
Putin begins his fifth term as president, more in control of Russia than ever
Vladimir Putin began his fifth term Tuesday as Russian leader at a glittering Kremlin inauguration, setting out on another six years in office after destroying his political opponents, launching a devastating war in Ukraine and concentrating all power in his hands.
Winnipeg man admits to killing four women, argues he's not criminally responsible
Defence lawyers of Jeremy Skibicki have admitted in court the accused killed four Indigenous women, but argues he is not criminally responsible for the deaths by way of mental disorder – this latest development has triggered a judge-alone trial rather than a jury trial.
Mediterranean staple may lower your risk of death from dementia, study finds
A daily spoonful of olive oil could lower your risk of dying from dementia, according to a new study by Harvard scientists.