Forensic find leads to man being charged in 2 violent sexual assaults from 2013, 2014
CBC
A man has been charged in connection with two violent sexual assaults dating back to 2013 and 2014 in Richmond Hill and Mississauga, York police said Wednesday.
The attacks bore similarities, but police said they weren't initially able to identify a suspect in either despite a "lengthy and thorough" investigation.
The first happened on Friday, Sept. 27, 2013, at approximately 12 a.m., when police said a female was getting off a transit bus in the area of South Service Road and Crestview Avenue in Mississauga. A man brought out a weapon, grabbed the victim and pulled her into a darkened area, where he sexually assaulted her.
On Thursday, Nov. 13, 2014, a female got off of a bus at approximately 12:30 a.m. at Yonge Street and Canyon Hill Avenue in Richmond Hill when she was approached by a man armed with a knife. Police said he demanded money, then pulled her into a field and sexually assaulted her.
York Regional Police said the investigation ramped back up in the fall of 2021 after the Centre for Forensic Sciences notified police of a forensic link from an unrelated occurrence.
York and Peel Regional Police were then able to identify the accused after pursuing this new information.
Jaehyun "David" Cho, 32, of Toronto, was arrested and charged on Friday.
Cho is facing two counts of each of the following charges: kidnapping, sexual assault with a weapon, uttering threats to cause death, disguise with intent, robbery, possession of a weapon for a dangerous purpose. He was also charged with one count of sexual assault to cause bodily harm.
Police say there may be more victims and are urging others to come forward.
"There is no statute of limitations for sexual offences and offenders can be prosecuted well after the date of the offence," the news release reads.
Anyone with information to call their Special Victims Unit – Sexual Assault Section at 1-866-876-5423, ext. 7071, or contact Crime Stoppers anonymously at 1-800-222-TIPS.
Cho is scheduled to appear in Newmarket court on Thursday.
Prime Minister Mark Carney had pointed words for the head of Canada's largest airline early Wednesday, saying the Air Canada CEO's unilingual message of condolences to those affected by the recent deadly crash showed a "lack of judgment" and "a lack of compassion."
Hotels in Newfoundland and Labrador are being trained to recognize human trafficking — criminal activity that officials say despite a lack of cases, is in fact present in the province.
The Nova Scotia Energy Board has approved Nova Scotia Power’s application to raise rates, but not by as much as the company wanted.
New Brunswick's tourism department officially unveiled a new artificial intelligence chatbot to help tourists plan their trip here.
The province is planning to temporarily remove Harmonized Sales Tax (HST) for buyers of new homes.
Winter can be tough to bear. Even more so if you’re homeless.
Two future national First Nations leaders, a deputy premier and a city councillor are among the prominent Manitobans who appear in declassified intelligence files from years of RCMP spying on the Indigenous rights movement in the Cold War era.
Saskatoon city hall administration is planning to "refresh" the funding strategy for the proposed $1.2-billion downtown arena district amid a lack of commitments from higher levels of government.
A report of fraud tied to a walleye derby is under investigation after Montreal Lake Cree Nation said a participant allegedly violated derby rules and was asked to leave the fishing area.
An Edmonton architectural firm says it is in talks with the provincial government to potentially redevelop the former Royal Alberta Museum.
Does junior football have a future in Prince George?
People are descending upon the city for the dozens of events and live music performances this week as the Juno Awards are set to take place Sunday at Hamilton's TD Coliseum.
For nearly two decades, Amanda Loewen's world ended where the pavement did.