A Victoria man is in police custody following reports of a sexual assault and an indecent act on Thursday.
In the late afternoon, police were called to a business in the 600-block of Belleville Street after a sexual assault was reported.
According to VicPD, the female victim was in a bathroom when a male followed her into the washroom and sexually assaulted her.
Fortunately, a bystander who was also in the bathroom intervened and drove the male away. Police say that the victim was not physically injured and did not require medical attention.
After the incident, VicPD recorded a description of the suspect and began a search, but did not locate him at the time.
Later that evening, just after 10:30 p.m., patrol officers attended to an incident in the Bastion Square parkade. There, a woman reported that a male was committing an indecent act while following her.
The victim, who police say was physically unharmed, gave a description of the suspect and officers found that it matched the description of the suspect from the day’s earlier sexual assault.
Patrol officers then located the suspect and took him into custody without further incident.
According to police, the male suspect faces recommended charges for the indecent act, and the sexual assault investigation is still ongoing.
Victoria police note that their message to survivors of sexualized violence is “We Believe You.”
For further information on reporting sexualized violence to VicPD, you can visit their website at vicpd.ca/webelieveyou.
The man’s identity was not released.
