Strathcona residents gather for public meeting after brutal sexual assault

After a brutal sex assault in an East Vancouver neighbourhood, more than a hundred residents have turned out to a public meeting last night.

They gathered last night at Strathcona Community Hall to hear how the Vancouver police are handling public safety in light of the attack.

Last Thursday, a woman was viciously assaulted inside her home during broad daylight.

The attack was interrupted when neighbours heard her screams. Twenty-five-year-old Caleb Timothy Heaten was arrested in connection with the attack and remains in police custody.

The attack has left the female victim in the hospital with serious injuries. Investigators say the attack was random.

Brian Montague with VPD told Global News they worked closely with the community with regards to the meeting.

“A lot of it for us was answering some questions that the community has and provide them with information on how investigation like this progresses,” says Montague.

He says they will continue to work with the victim and the community to ensure they provide the best evidence to Crown for a potential conviction and sentence down the road.

VPD has also brought in a clinical psychologist to address some of the questions.

The community has rallied around the victim. A GoFundMe account has been started for the woman’s recovery, raising over $45,000 in a matter of days.

A solidarity walk was also held in the neighbourhood Friday night.

Montague says Strathcona is a very unique, community oriented neighbourhood.

“People watch out for each other. The neighbours know each other,” he says. “These incidents are very rare, they don’t happen often in Vancouver. To be a victim of a random, violent act like this is extremely rare.”

Heaten is facing seven charges — break and enter, robbery, aggravated sexual assault, sexual assault using a knife, sexual assault using a rock, choking and unlawful confinement.