Close X
Wednesday, October 9, 2024
ADVT 
National

DNA match leads to conviction 22 years after B.C. sexual assault

Darpan News Desk The Canadian Press, 29 May, 2024 11:12 AM
  • DNA match leads to conviction 22 years after B.C. sexual assault

Police in Metro Vancouver say a DNA match led to a man's arrest and conviction more than 22 years after he broke into a woman's home and sexually assaulted her. 

Richmond RCMP say Christopher Sharafi, also known as Mohammed Mendi Sharafi, was found guilty last October, and in April he was sentenced to five years in prison for the two offences dating back to December 2001.

The Mounties say the victim reported waking up to find a man standing in her room, and he then climbed into her bed and assaulted her as she tried to fight back.

They say in a statement that police collected and submitted DNA evidence for analysis, but the suspect remained unidentified until 2015, when the sample matched a known offender in the national DNA databank.

RCMP say Sharafi had been ordered to provide a DNA sample as part of a previous unrelated conviction and the Mounties' forensic laboratory confirmed the match.

They say Sharafi has now been found guilty of break and enter and sexual assault and sentenced to five years in prison for each offence, to be served concurrently.

MORE National ARTICLES

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver
A man has been arrested after a near-collision in Vancouver resulted in a pedestrian pulling out a gun and shooting at a driver. Police say the shooting happened Saturday on Commercial Drive near E. 12th Avenue. They say a motorist stopped abruptly to avoid hitting a jaywalker, and the two exchanged words.

Vancouver police say jaywalking pedestrian pulled gun, started shooting at driver

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk
British Columbia's government is warning residents of treacherous roads, cold temperatures and dangerous avalanche conditions as the year's first blast of winter settles in. The Ministry of Emergency Management said after a warm start to winter, the forecast has returned to what is more seasonal and will remain that way for the days and weeks ahead.

Winter weather settles in over B.C. with warning of treacherous roads, avalanche risk

16 cars damaged in Saanich

16 cars damaged in Saanich
Police in Greater Victoria are investigating a recent string of vehicle vandalism and asking for the public's help to identify a suspect. They say 16 vehicles were vandalized in Saanich over a week between December 29th and last Friday, resulting in tens of thousands of dollars' worth of damages.

16 cars damaged in Saanich

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government
The former head of the B.C. Search and Rescue Association says the group's volunteer personnel have been bullied, threatened and disrespected by the province's Ministry of Emergency Management and Climate Readiness. 

Volunteer search and rescue leaders allege mistreatment by B.C. government

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project
The RCMP says it will begin collecting race-based data in select locations this month to better understand interactions between police and people in various communities. The pilot project follows two years of consultations across Canada.

RCMP to begin collecting, analyzing race-based data in pilot project

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen
NASA says it will be delaying the Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen, initially scheduled for November of this year. The U.S. space agency provided an update today on the timeline for the upcoming mission around the moon and said it will be pushed back to September 2025 due to a number of technical issues and to allow more preparation time.

NASA delays Artemis II moon mission that includes Canadian astronaut Jeremy Hansen