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Woman sexually assaulted, burned during 11-hour hotel confinement: Calgary police

WATCH: Calgary police have charged a 37-year-old man after a woman was held in a hotel room for hours, allegedly by a man she met online. Tony Tighe has some tips for online daters to keep them safe – Oct 16, 2017

WARNING: This story contains graphic content. Discretion is advised.

Calgary police have laid multiple charges against a man accused of sexually assaulting a woman he met through a dating website when the pair got together earlier this month.

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Police said the victim and her alleged attacker made arrangements to meet at a southwest hotel on Wednesday, Oct. 4.

According to investigators, the victim was prevented from leaving the hotel room for 11 hours, during which time she was physically and sexually assaulted and burned. Her property was also damaged.

In a Monday news release, police said the victim was able to escape when the man “stepped away for a short time.”

“The woman ran to the front lobby and asked the clerk to call a cab. After she got home and disclosed to her family what had happened, police were called and an investigation ensued.”

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At a news conference, Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker said the victim is from a small town in Alberta and isn’t a minor, though her exact age is being withheld to protect her identity.

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“She was generally an innocent victim looking for a potential date and did not consent to what occurred in that hotel room,” he said.

WATCH: Staff Sgt. Bruce Walker discusses the sexual assault and forcible confinement of a woman at a Calgary hotel.

Walker wouldn’t give specific details on where or how the victim was burned, but said the 11-hour ordeal was “quite a traumatic event” for her.

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Police also decided not to disclose which dating website the pair met on, or which hotel they met at.

Police said the accused was arrested in a different south Calgary hotel on Friday.

Vasilios “Billy” Georgopoulos, 37, of no fixed address, is charged with sexual assault, forcible confinement, assault with a weapon, uttering threats and damage to property under $5,000.

He is scheduled to appear in court on Thursday, Oct. 26.

Walker said Georgopoulos is known to police both in Calgary and central Alberta.

Anyone with information about this case is asked to call the police non-emergency number at 403-266-1234 or contact Crime Stoppers.

The Calgary Police Service encourages anyone who has been the victim of sexual assault to report it by calling 403-266-1234 or 911 if in immediate danger.

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