23-year-old woman sexually assaulted after vicious beating at Carleton science building
By KENNETH JACKSON, SUN MEDIA
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Fear tunnels through campus
A Carleton student walks past a poster yesterday warning of a brutal on-campus sexual assault just after midnight on Saturday. (A.D. Wilson, Sun Media)
Working late into the night Friday, a 23-year-old female Carleton University student was viciously beaten, tied up and sexually assaulted by an unknown male in a school laboratory.
The assault occurred just after midnight on the third floor of the Steacie Building, which is used by chemistry students.
Police said the woman had been there for a while when her attacker walked into the lab.
He immediately approached the woman and attacked her, breaking her jaw, dislocating her shoulder and beating her until she passed out.
Police said while she was unconscious, he tied her hands behind her back, removed her clothes and assaulted her.
GRABBED CLOTHING
When he was done, he wetted a cloth and cleaned the woman's body and then took her jeans, cellphone, one running shoe and her red-and-white underwear.
He put all the items in a plastic Macy's bag and fled on foot toward Bronson Ave.
Investigators aren't ruling out that the suspect took the items in an effort to remove DNA evidence or to keep them as souvenirs to savour later.
"It could be both. We won't know why until we get the guy," said Sgt. Jim Davies of the Ottawa police sexual assault unit.
The woman was listed in stable condition in hospital yesterday afternoon and investigators were speaking with her.
Davies said police are treating the case with the highest priority because it's rare for such a type of "stranger assault" to happen in Ottawa.
START OF SCHOOL YEAR
The timing couldn't have been worse as thousands of students arrived on campus for the new school year, many of them for the first time with anxious parents worried about possible perils on campus.
Campus safety director Len Boudreault said the attack is the worst he's seen in his 15 years at Carleton.
"To have a situation like this take place is terribly unfortunate," he said. "The last reported sexual assault (on campus) was over two years ago."
Boudreault said the building is usually locked by 11 p.m. or shortly after and then "you're in or you're out."
He said the victim was able to call 911 from a phone in the lab, which is directed to campus security, who called police.
There are no cameras in the lab or in the building but Carleton gave police all external surveillance videos of where the suspect could have been. Police have not ruled out that the suspect could be a Carleton student.
He is described as a white man in his 20s, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9 with broad shoulders, a bald head, clean-shaven, English-speaking, he had been drinking, was wearing a blue hoodie sweatshirt with white small lettering on the chest, and wearing jeans and runners.
By KENNETH JACKSON, SUN MEDIA
#
Fear tunnels through campus
A Carleton student walks past a poster yesterday warning of a brutal on-campus sexual assault just after midnight on Saturday. (A.D. Wilson, Sun Media)
Working late into the night Friday, a 23-year-old female Carleton University student was viciously beaten, tied up and sexually assaulted by an unknown male in a school laboratory.
The assault occurred just after midnight on the third floor of the Steacie Building, which is used by chemistry students.
Police said the woman had been there for a while when her attacker walked into the lab.
He immediately approached the woman and attacked her, breaking her jaw, dislocating her shoulder and beating her until she passed out.
Police said while she was unconscious, he tied her hands behind her back, removed her clothes and assaulted her.
GRABBED CLOTHING
When he was done, he wetted a cloth and cleaned the woman's body and then took her jeans, cellphone, one running shoe and her red-and-white underwear.
He put all the items in a plastic Macy's bag and fled on foot toward Bronson Ave.
Investigators aren't ruling out that the suspect took the items in an effort to remove DNA evidence or to keep them as souvenirs to savour later.
"It could be both. We won't know why until we get the guy," said Sgt. Jim Davies of the Ottawa police sexual assault unit.
The woman was listed in stable condition in hospital yesterday afternoon and investigators were speaking with her.
Davies said police are treating the case with the highest priority because it's rare for such a type of "stranger assault" to happen in Ottawa.
START OF SCHOOL YEAR
The timing couldn't have been worse as thousands of students arrived on campus for the new school year, many of them for the first time with anxious parents worried about possible perils on campus.
Campus safety director Len Boudreault said the attack is the worst he's seen in his 15 years at Carleton.
"To have a situation like this take place is terribly unfortunate," he said. "The last reported sexual assault (on campus) was over two years ago."
Boudreault said the building is usually locked by 11 p.m. or shortly after and then "you're in or you're out."
He said the victim was able to call 911 from a phone in the lab, which is directed to campus security, who called police.
There are no cameras in the lab or in the building but Carleton gave police all external surveillance videos of where the suspect could have been. Police have not ruled out that the suspect could be a Carleton student.
He is described as a white man in his 20s, 5-foot-8 to 5-foot-9 with broad shoulders, a bald head, clean-shaven, English-speaking, he had been drinking, was wearing a blue hoodie sweatshirt with white small lettering on the chest, and wearing jeans and runners.
