Convicted Lethbridge sex offender Darral Gerard Courtoreille has pleaded guilty to charges of break and enter and sexually assaulting a 15-year-old girl.
Police charged the 59-year-old in connection with the sexual assault of a Lethbridge girl in early November.
In a news release, investigators called the attack “random” and said the 15-year-old girl was sexually assaulted in her bedroom. Police believe the man broke into the girl’s home, found her asleep in her bedroom and “took steps” to prevent her from making noise and waking up the other members of her family.
Multiple officers responded and searched the area for the suspect who was found and arrested without incident a short time later.
They said the accused and victim are not known to one another.
Darral Gerard Courtoreille faces several charges in connection with the attack, including sexual assault and sexual interference. The judge hasn’t accepted his plea but it has been put forward.
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Global News previously confirmed Courtoreille is a high-risk offender. In 2006, police alerted the public when he was moving to a new neighbourhood and said he had served time for sexual interference. According to police at the time, his victims were girls under the age of 14 and he was considered a significant risk to reoffend.
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Darral Courtoreille remains in custody. A pre-sentence report has been ordered and will include a risk assessment for Courtoreille.
He is scheduled to appear back in Lethbridge Provincial Court on April 5.
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