Close X
Thursday, October 31, 2024
ADVT 
National

Arrested 29-Year-Old Burnaby Groping Suspect Commits Further Sexual Assaults After Release On Conditions

Darpan News Desk, 12 Dec, 2019 08:50 PM

    After a six-month investigation, 29-year-old Burnaby resident, Jorge Benjamin Bernal has been charged with four counts of sexual assault in relation to alleged groping incidents that took place in Burnaby.


    On April 12, 2019, Burnaby RCMP responded to a report that a teenage girl had been groped from behind by a man on Hastings Street in North Burnaby. The victim alleged that a man had run up to her, grabbed her buttocks and attempted to engage in conversation. The man then fled from the area. Burnaby Frontline officers attended the scene, gathered CCTV footage from area and isolated video of the man believed to be responsible for the groping.


    On May 8, 2019, Burnaby RCMP responded to a similar incident involving a teenage girl. The victim stated that she had been groped from behind on WiIlingdon Avenue in North Burnaby. The victim told police that as she was walking, a man approached her from behind, grabbed her buttocks, and attempted to engage her in conversation. When the victim challenged the man he fled the area. CCTV footage from the area was obtained by Frontline officers and the man was identified as being the same person involved in the April 12, 2019 incident.


    In mid-May, the Burnaby RCMP’s High Risk Offender Unit (HRO) took over the investigation. Using intelligence gleaned through CCTV footage and interviews of the victims and witnesses, officers traced the suspects movements which assisted them in identifying him. The suspect was subsequently arrested at a residence in Burnaby on August 21, 2019.


    A search warrant executed at this residence resulted in officers obtaining clothing which matched the clothing worn by the suspect on CCTV images acquired earlier in the investigation.


    Bernal was arrested and released on conditions. After his release, he allegedly committed two further offences.


    On September 20, it is alleged that he inappropriately touched a case worker who had been assigned to work with him.


    On November 6, it is alleged that he groped a community support worker who was assisting him with finding accommodation.

    Th
    is was a traumatic experience for these victims and our High Risk Offender Unit has been working on this investigation as a priority for a number of months, says Inspector Matt Toews, Investigative Services Officer with Burnaby RCMP. These investigators left no stone unturned and their diligence has resulted in serious charges being laid against the suspect.


    The suspect is facing four counts of sexual assault in relation to all the incidents outlined above. He is currently out on bail and must abide by 22 conditions including no contact with anyone under the age of 16, not to travel on any public bus unless travelling to an approved meeting or appointment and to keep the peace and be of good behaviour.


    Jorge Benjamin Bernal will appear in Vancouver Provincial Court on January 15,2020.

    MORE National ARTICLES

    Kind Of Lacking:' Injured Bronco Wonders Why Canada Won't Fund Spinal Surgery

    CALGARY - A hockey player paralyzed in the Humboldt Broncos bus crash says it feels good to be home after spending five weeks in Thailand, where he underwent spinal surgery.    

    Kind Of Lacking:' Injured Bronco Wonders Why Canada Won't Fund Spinal Surgery

    Pamela Gallant Wins $200K Film Award For 'Monica's News' At Whistler Festival

    Acadian-Canadian filmmaker Pamela Gallant has won a major prize from the Women in the Director's Chair organization at the Whistler Film Festival.    

    Pamela Gallant Wins $200K Film Award For 'Monica's News' At Whistler Festival

    Brain Injury From Domestic Abuse A 'Public Health Crisis,' Says B.C. Researcher

     A British Columbia mother in her late 30s says there was "no support in sight" after she suffered two serious blows to the head at the hands of different partners more than a decade ago.

    Brain Injury From Domestic Abuse A 'Public Health Crisis,' Says B.C. Researcher

    Fort St. John RCMP Cleared After Man Injured After Attempted Traffic Stop

    Fort St. John RCMP Cleared After Man Injured After Attempted Traffic Stop
    RCMP reported that on November 28, 2019, at approximately 2:00 a.m., officers observed a vehicle under suspicious circumstances and attempted to stop the vehicle.

    Fort St. John RCMP Cleared After Man Injured After Attempted Traffic Stop

    Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite Speaks Out For Mother Struggling To Get Son Into Addiction Treatment

    BC Liberal Critic for Mental Health and Addictions Jane Thornthwaite is speaking out about the barriers increasingly faced by British Columbians seeking access to addiction treatment.

    Liberal MLA Jane Thornthwaite Speaks Out For Mother Struggling To Get Son Into Addiction Treatment

    5 Killed, Dozens Of Tourists Missing As Popular New Zealand Volcano Erupts

    At least five people were killed after the White Island or the Whakaari volcano in New Zealand erupted on Monday, police said, adding that the toll was likely to increase as a number of people were still unaccounted for.

    5 Killed, Dozens Of Tourists Missing As Popular New Zealand Volcano Erupts