SURREY RCMP on Monday released a sketch of a suspect from a sexual assault that occurred in Hawthorne Park over the weekend and asked for the public’s assistance to identify him.
On Saturday, November 13, just after midnight, Surrey RCMP received a report of someone screaming in the area of 106 Avenue and 142 Street. Police attended the area and located a woman who had been physically and sexually assaulted in Hawthorne Park.
The victim initially met the suspect in the 10500-block of King George Boulevard and they walked to a secondary location. While en route to the location, they walked through a wooded area where the suspect attacked the victim. The victim sustained non-life-threatening injuries and was transported to a local hospital.
The suspect is described as a white male in his 30s, 6 feet tall, with a “ginger beard” and wearing all black.
Surrey RCMP’s Special Victims Unit (SVU) has conduct of the investigation and is in the process of reviewing video from the area.
Police are requesting anyone who can assist with identifying the suspect from the sketch they have released to contact Surrey RCMP at 604-599-0502.
Initial indications are that this attack is linked to street-level sex work. The Surrey Woman’s Centre’s SMART Van works closely with SVU and has been engaged to provide support to the victim and distribute information regarding this sexual assault.
“We want local sex trade workers to be safe and remain vigilant to this additional risk to their safety,” said Surrey RCMP Media Relations Officer Cpl. Vanessa Munn. “The decision to disclose that the victim is a sex worker is to ensure that persons in this vulnerable group specifically can be aware of this incident.”
