Woman Sexually Assaulted

A 26 year old female from Nanaimo was sexually assaulted early Sunday morning and police are asking the public for their assistance in finding her attacker.

The female was taken to Nanaimo Regional General Hospital late Sunday afternoon by her mother and treated for injuries sustained in the attack. She was later released from hospital.

The attack occurred at approximately 1:30 AM on Saturday November 27 inside the male’s truck. The female told police she had been hitchhiking along Terminal Ave after spending an evening downtown with friends at local night clubs. She was near the Pearson Bridge when a truck pulled over and the driver offered her a ride. She told the male to pull into the Terminal Mall plaza but he continued on and eventually stopped in front of an apartment building near the intersection of Poplar St and Highway 19. When the vehicle stopped the male punched her in the head, hard enough for her to lose consciousness. She awoke shortly thereafter as the male was attempting to sexually assault her. She fought back and managed to free herself from his truck and run away. She did not see what direction the truck was going when it left. The suspect is described as follows:

Physical description
-white male, mid 40's, stocky build
-short grey hair, no facial hair, round face

Clothing description
-short sleeve grey shirt, blue jeans, brown belt and work boots

Vehicle description
-newer model dark grey pickup with large rims
-interior was dark grey, bucket seats separated by a console
-there was also a handle on the passenger side that assisted with entry

Also, on Sunday morning, the victim’s purse was turned into the Nanaimo Detachment by an elderly male. Unfortunately the individual receiving it did not find out where the purse was found. “Our office is interested in speaking with the male who turned the purse in. Where he found it may assist us in our investigation.” said Constable Gary O’Brien, media spokesperson for the Nanaimo RCMP.

If anyone has information on this sexual assault or of the male who dropped off the purse, please call the Nanaimo RCMP at 250-754-2345 or call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or go online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers.ca