Man Arrested As Investigation Into Reports Of Sexualized Violence Associated To A Downtown Bar And Grill Continues

Date: Saturday, December 11^th, 2021

File: 21-4305

Victoria, BC – Detectives with VicPD’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) have arrested one man in relation to an ongoing investigation into reports of sexualized violence associated to a downtown Victoria bar and grill.

In late January of 2021, VicPD investigators learned of a series of posts on a social network which contained reports of sexualized violence involving an employee of a downtown Victoria bar and grill. VicPD reached out to the operators of the social network page and invited those with information to come forward. Numerous people came forward with information to support the investigation.

On Friday, December 10^th, SVU detectives arrested the suspect in this investigation on the Lower Mainland. He was later released with a court date and conditions, including conditions not to contact the survivors of sexual violence related to the recommended charges. The suspect faces several recommended charges of sexual assault.

If you have information about these reports and have not yet spoken to our investigators, please call our Report Desk at (250) 995-7655 extension 1.

You can also report sexualized violence with the support of the Victoria Sexual Assault Centre. Call their access line for service intake and information Monday-Friday 9:30-5:00 pm, at (250) 383-3232. If you have been sexually assaulted in the last seven days, immediate support and medical care is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week at their Sexual Assault Clinic. The best way to access the clinic services is to call the Vancouver Island Crisis Line at 1-888-494-3888.  From there, ask to be connected with a VSAC Sexual Assault Support Worker to discuss options and accessing the clinic. You do not have to report sexualized violence to police to access supports.

For more information please visit VSAC.ca or VicPD.ca/webelieveyou.

-30-