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

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.

Prev Next

MORE National ARTICLES

Magnitude 3.9 quake recorded off B.C. coast, no tsunami or damage expected

A minor earthquake has struck off the coast of British Columbia. Earthquakes Canada says the 3.9 magnitude quake was registered just before 11:00 p.m. PDT. The epicentre was 198 kilometres west of Port Hardy, south of Vancouver Island. It was recorded at a depth of 10 kilometres. No tsunami is expected.

Magnitude 3.9 quake recorded off B.C. coast, no tsunami or damage expected

Freeland says feds will strike 'challenging' balance in fall budget update

Finance Minister Chrystia Freeland said Tuesday the government's fall economic statement will focus on housing and affordability within a fiscally responsible framework. "That is a challenging balance to strike. Our government is committed to doing it," she said. The federal government's financial statements were published Tuesday, revealing the deficit for the 2022-23 fiscal year came in at $35.3 billion.

Freeland says feds will strike 'challenging' balance in fall budget update

BC's final cruise ship sets sail today

Big numbers are being reported for B-C's cruise industry. The Port of Vancouver says its final cruise ship of the 2023 season is setting sail today. It says the 2023 cruise season in Vancouver has been the port's biggest season on record, with an estimated 1.25-million passengers this year.

BC's final cruise ship sets sail today

Israel increases strikes on Gaza ahead of expected ground invasion

Israel has escalated its bombardment of targets in the Gaza Strip ahead of an expected ground invasion against Hamas militants. The stepped-up attacks, and the rapidly rising death toll in Gaza, came as Hamas released two elderly Israeli women who were among the hundreds of hostages it captured during its devastating attacks on towns in southern Israel earlier this month.

Israel increases strikes on Gaza ahead of expected ground invasion

Macklem warned premiers about dangers of putting BoC's independence at risk

Bank of Canada Governor Tiff Macklem warned premiers who publicly asked the central bank to not raise interest rates last month that their requests could undermine the institution's independence. The premiers of Ontario, British Columbia and Newfoundland and Labrador wrote to Macklem ahead of the Bank of Canada's Sept. 6 rate decision, outlining concerns about the effects of higher rates on their residents and asking the central bank not to raise its key rate further.

Macklem warned premiers about dangers of putting BoC's independence at risk

Canada's defence minister says Hamas a threat to world, must be 'eliminated'

Defence Minister Bill Blair says Hamas is a terrorist organization that is a threat to the whole world and must be "eliminated." Blair also says he has no expectation that Hamas would respect international law, including any agreement on a ceasefire.