Close X
Monday, November 25, 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

    Officer Says She Noticed Nothing Unusual With Man Who Died In Halifax Jail Cell

    HALIFAX - A special constable facing criminal charges in an inmate's death testified she didn't notice anything unusual about the prisoner as she checked on him in his cell.

    Officer Says She Noticed Nothing Unusual With Man Who Died In Halifax Jail Cell

    Black Man Thought He'd Go Blind After Beating, Police Officer's Trial Hears

    Black Man Thought He'd Go Blind After Beating, Police Officer's Trial Hears
    OSHAWA, Ont. - A young black man told a court Wednesday he didn't get the chance to fight back as a Toronto police officer and his brother rained blows on his body and struck his head with a long metal pipe nearly three years ago.

    Black Man Thought He'd Go Blind After Beating, Police Officer's Trial Hears

    Vancouver To Ban Fireworks But Will Still Allow Them For Some Cultural Events

    Vancouver To Ban Fireworks But Will Still Allow Them For Some Cultural Events
    VANCOUVER - A ban on the sale and use of consumer fireworks could be in place across Vancouver by 2021.    

    Vancouver To Ban Fireworks But Will Still Allow Them For Some Cultural Events

    More SeaBus Trips Cut, Bus Cancellations Loom, In Metro Vancouver Transit Strike

    More SeaBus Trips Cut, Bus Cancellations Loom, In Metro Vancouver Transit Strike
    Commuters have been warned to expect some bus cancellations as job action by transit workers continues across Metro Vancouver, but SeaBus service connecting Vancouver and North Shore is already taking a hit.

    More SeaBus Trips Cut, Bus Cancellations Loom, In Metro Vancouver Transit Strike

    Next Stop: $500,000! Surrey Train Conductor Keeps Riding The Tracks After Winning Daily Grand Prize

      A train conductor from Surrey is riding the tracks with an additional half a million dollars to his name after matching all five numbers in the October 21, 2019 Daily Grand draw to win the secondary prize of $25,000 a year for life.

    Next Stop: $500,000! Surrey Train Conductor Keeps Riding The Tracks After Winning Daily Grand Prize

    Vancouver Man Wins $10 Million In Lotto Max Draw

    All seven numbers matched in the November 1, 2019, Lotto Max draw that led him to win the $10-million jackpot.

    Vancouver Man Wins $10 Million In Lotto Max Draw