Six people, including a youth, have been charged in relation to what police are calling a dozen violent stranger attacks so far this year throughout Metro Vancouver.
"Over the past three months, a number of high-profile assaults against women — the majority of them sexual in nature — have taken place in the UBC endowment lands, Vancouver, North Vancouver and Burnaby," RCMP Chief Supt. Jodie Boudreau told reporters Wednesday at the RCMP's E Division headquarters in Surrey.
"These terrible unprovoked crimes justifiably scared people and those living and working in these communities clearly expressed their concern."
In all cases but one was the victim attacked by one person.
David Singh Tucker, 28, and Yuan Zhi Gao, 23, both of Vancouver, were actually announced last week to have been charged in a disturbing sexual attack at UBC on April 30. They are accused of sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement, robbery, break and enter, and wearing a mask with intent to commit an indictable offence.
The others are as follows:
- Jason Anthony White, 45, charged with assault, break and enter and breach in relation to an April 7th offence in Vancouver. White, listed as a high-risk sex offender, was arrested last month after allegedly breaching his long-term supervision order.
- Michal Popek, 36, of Surrey, charged with four counts of sexual assault and one count of break and enter in connection to incidents on March 26, 2015, and April 9 of this year in Vancouver, and on Feb. 18 and March 6 in Burnaby.
- Vaughan Englot, 32, of North Vancouver, charged with three counts of sexual assault in relation to offences on Jan. 12 and 19 in North Vancouver and Jan. 15 in Vancouver.
- A youth, who cannot be named, charged with two counts of sexual assault, two counts of committing an indecent act, and one count of assault in relation to offences allegedly committed March 3, 4, 5 and 6 in Vancouver.