TORONTO – A fifth victim has come forward in connection with a recent string of sexual assaults at York University.
On Monday evening, Toronto police arrested 20-year-old Oshane Leach, of Toronto, charging him with three counts of sexual assault, two counts of criminal harassment and two counts of assault.
Leach appeared in court on Tuesday morning wearing a t-shirt with “Hustle Hard” written on it – his mother and grandmother were with him.
The assaults occurred within a one-hour period on July 5 outside of Vari Hall on York University’s Keele campus.
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On July 6, a fifth woman was approached by a man and sexually assaulted outside the university in the Sentinel Road and Finch Avenue West area.
While security bulletins were posted on campus, some students complained they didn’t know the assaults occurred.
“As soon as it happens, I think they should send a mass email to all the students so we can do, I mean it’s kind of dangerous,” said student Sahar Nourouzpour.
These sexual assaults are just the latest cases in a series of disturbing and sometimes violent crimes at the Keele campus.
Last January, a peeping tom was roaming the women’s washrooms in a lecture hall and snapping photos under bathroom stalls.
In April 2011, Chinese student Qian Liu was murdered in her basement apartment in a student housing area, just off campus. Brian Dickson, a former student, stands charged with the crime.
And in 2007, two women were raped in their dorm room as they slept.
The president of the York Federation of Students believes it’s time to take a preventative approach and offer a mandatory “equity” course for all students.
“Looking at misogyny, sexism, discrimination and what not, because really if you beef up security, what you can probably guess, is you get is smarter criminals,” said Vanessa Hunt.
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