A 17-year-old girl was sexually assaulted at the University of B.C. campus just after midnight Saturday, the third such attack in as many weeks.
UBC RCMP spokesman Sgt. Drew Grainger said the female student resident was walking alone on the UBC campus in the 2500-block of West Mall when she was approached from behind by an unknown male who emerged suddenly from a wooded area.
He said the man placed his hands around the woman鈥檚 hips and attempted to drag her into the woods. During this attack, Grainger said the suspect also ripped at her clothing under her skirt.
The woman struggled and broke free from the lone attacker and screamed for help causing the male suspect to flee on foot.
She sustained a bruised eye, requiring minor first aid after being punched in the face by the man.
RCMP describe the man as Caucasian, and in his late 20s to early 30s. He is approximately 6鈥� 2鈥� tall with a thin build. He had short cropped hair and was wearing blue jeans and a dark hoodie.
He is also believed to have an American accent, though Grainger did not know what dialect the man spoke.
This is the third similar attack in as many weeks at the UBC Campus. The suspect in the two other cases bore a similar description and Grainger said Saturday that police believe it is the same person in all three cases.
鈥淭his assault series has become university RCMP detachment鈥檚 top priority. We are engaged with many partner law enforcement agencies to attempt to identify and apprehend the person or persons responsible for these attacks鈥� said Grainger.
鈥淭he RCMP would also like to reinforce the continued strong message for all citizens who walk through the campus at night to exercise every precaution to ensure their own personal safety鈥�
All three cases were similar in that the women were returning home in the early morning hours on a weekend after having spent time at either a campus drinking establishment or at a friend鈥檚 accommodation on campus.
Grainger said three women have been unable to give enough information for a composite sketch of their attacker, but he鈥檚 hoping
Police are seeking the assistance of the public in identifying the male responsible for this incident. Please provide any information to the University RCMP at 604-224-1322 or CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Police will be stepping up patrol at UBC following the three assaults, added Grainger.
Barry Eccleton, director of campus security at UBC, said he is beefing up patrols and putting up signs around campus to remind students and staff to be aware of their surroundings and to pair up after hours.
鈥淯BC is a city unto itself and so we鈥檙e not immune from these sort of incidents, but fortunately they are few and far between,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e take safety very seriously and we are doing everything we can to ensure that people do all the right things.鈥�
He said UBC has program called the AMS SafeWalk, which allows students to call for someone to walk with them up until 2 a.m. It also said campus security has a dispatch line that people can call 24/7.
鈥淚f they feel unsafe they can call us and we鈥檒l come and get them and transport them to where they need to go,鈥� he said. 鈥淲e also have emergency phones strategically placed around the campus. They can hit the button and it comes right through to my people.鈥�
Last Sunday, a 20-year-old UBC student was sexually assaulted inside her apartment building in the 2700-block of Fairview Cres. She had just returned home when she was approached from behind by a man who suddenly emerged from a stairwell. The man took off her coat while placing a hand under her skirt, attempting to grope her.
The woman struggled, broke free and screamed for help, causing the attacker to flee on foot. She was unharmed and did not require medical attention.
The Saturday previous, at around 2:45 a.m., a man approached a 19-year-old student from behind as she was walking alone in the 6300 block of Biological Sciences Road.
He wrapped an arm around her waist, picked her up and took her into a nearby garden as he placed his other hand up her skirt and groped her genitalia. Just like the other two women, she also screamed and broke free causing the attacker to run.
UBC RCMP urge everyone walking on campus at night to be vigilant of their surroundings and potential vulnerability when alone.
