Police on Vancouver Island are investigating the sexual assault of a 22-year-old woman who was staying with friends in an area of Saanich known to be popular with University of Victoria students.
Saanich police say the victim, a Metro Vancouver resident, was attacked by a knife-wielding man early Sunday morning in a townhouse complex in the Gordon Head neighbourhood not far from the university.
"[She] went to bed, woke up to a man brandishing a knife who sexually assaulted her and then fled," said Saanich police Sgt. Julie Fast. “We did a canine track but unfortunately weren’t able to track down the suspect.”
Fast said the victim woke up her friend when the attack was all over. “Thankfully, she was physically uninjured but the trauma and the emotional impact of this would be pretty significant.”
Staff Sgt. Chris Horsley says police have learned that many of the condos and homes shared by students in the area are often left unlocked at night.
Investigators say the suspect may have attended a party at the townhouse or have friends in the area and may have known the home would be insecure.
Horsley says the neighbourhood is usually very safe and busy, even early in the morning, and he says police want to speak to anyone who may have seen a tall, athletic-looking man with short, blond hair, acting suspiciously at about 2 a.m., Sunday.
"To hear something like this occur in the area is really disturbing," said area resident Jordan Gerrard. "It's unsettling."
The woman is recovering and Horsley says she has the support of friends and police services.
