Close X
Sunday, October 6, 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

B.C. seeks to regulate electricity for cryptocurrency miners, citing huge demands

B.C. seeks to regulate electricity for cryptocurrency miners, citing huge demands
British Columbia is proposing legal changes that would allow the government to regulate the supply of electricity to cryptocurrency miners. A statement from the Ministry of Energy says cryptocurrency miners consume large amounts of electricity to constantly run high-powered computers, while creating very few jobs or economic opportunities.

B.C. seeks to regulate electricity for cryptocurrency miners, citing huge demands

12 B.C. municipal parties under investigation for finance or advertising violations

12 B.C. municipal parties under investigation for finance or advertising violations
Elections BC said in a news release that the potential violations relate to accepting prohibited contributions, failing to deal with such contributions, or sponsoring election advertisements without an authorization statement. It said the parties under investigation include Vancouver Mayor Ken Sim's ABC Vancouver and the Burnaby Citizen's Association, both of which won council majorities.

12 B.C. municipal parties under investigation for finance or advertising violations

B.C. tables anti-racism legislation

B.C. tables anti-racism legislation
The British Columbia government tabled legislation Thursday that's designed to hold public bodies accountable for addressing systemic racism in policy and programs, the province's attorney general said. Niki Sharma said the proposed law would cover provincial ministries, agencies, health-care and social service providers, and require the development of a public action plan using data the government has collected on systemic racism.

B.C. tables anti-racism legislation

B.C. judge rejects bid to throw out Ibrahim Ali's conviction for teen girl's murder

B.C. judge rejects bid to throw out Ibrahim Ali's conviction for teen girl's murder
A British Columbia Supreme Court judge has rejected an application to throw out the conviction of Ibrahim Ali for the murder of a 13-year-old in Burnaby, B.C., over what his lawyers say were unreasonable delays in the trial process. Justice Lance Bernard made the ruling Thursday, with reasons to follow, moments after defence lawyer Kevin McCullough made his final reply in the application that could have seen Ali go free.

B.C. judge rejects bid to throw out Ibrahim Ali's conviction for teen girl's murder

B.C. moves to accelerate process for thousands needing a family doctor

B.C. moves to accelerate process for thousands needing a family doctor
The British Columbia government is bringing in new digital tools to help hundreds of thousands of residents who need a family doctor find one faster and easier.  While nearly 410,000 people have been connected to a physician since 2018, there are another 310,000 who remain on the Health Connect Registry, and Health Minister Adrian Dix says they now have a plan to accelerate the patient-doctor matching process. 

B.C. moves to accelerate process for thousands needing a family doctor

Two dead in northern B.C. First Nation, suspect hurt after standoff with police

Two dead in northern B.C. First Nation, suspect hurt after standoff with police
Two people are dead after a reported shooting in a northern B.C. First Nation. Mounties in the community of Tsay Keh Dene, roughly 360 kilometres north of Prince George, responded to a call late Tuesday about shots fired in a residence and injuries to multiple people.

Two dead in northern B.C. First Nation, suspect hurt after standoff with police