CALGARY – Police have laid charges in connection to a shocking sexual assault from 15 years ago.
It happened on July 6th, 1999.
The victim was on the back patio of her Hidden Valley home with her baby when she went back inside to grab a toy. It was at that point that she encountered a stranger in her kitchen who grabbed her and sexually assaulted her.
The victim fought back, stabbing her attacker several times with a nearby pen. He later left through the front door of her home.
The victim called police and checked on her child – who was unharmed.
Investigators were never able to solve the crime, which eventually became a cold case.
However, in 2011, advances in technology led police to match DNA left on the pen with a man living in British Columbia.
“Our cold case investigators work on numerous case files at the same time. When they do get a DNA hit, we will assign investigators as soon as possible,” explains Staff Sgt. Bev Voros. “But it takes time to get the DNA hit, to locate the offender, to pull in the victim, to put all the information together from that time period — because it is a cold case and it may have sat for a while.”
The case was reopened, and on March 28th, a Canada-wide warrant was issued for the suspect’s arrest.
On Friday, police announced that 40-year-old William James Brookshaw of Fort Saint John, B.C., has been charged with overcoming resistance by choking, sexual assault and break and enter.
He was returned to Calgary on Wednesday.
The victim no longer lives in Calgary.
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