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Suspect charged in string of Westdale break and enter cases

Hamilton Police have beefed up patrols in Westdale, in response to a spike in break and enters and prowler calls.
Hamilton Police have beefed up patrols in Westdale, in response to a spike in break and enters and prowler calls. Ken Mann

A 32-year-old man is facing break-and-enter, criminal harassment, sexual assault and voyeurism charges following an investigation into a series of incidents in Westdale.

Hamilton Police say Daniel Severin was arrested on Friday in connection with “suspicious circumstances” and break and enters that happened in August and September 2018.

Severin is currently charged with four counts each of break and enter and voyeurism, and six counts of criminal harassment, but police are still looking into other incidents and say further charges are possible as a result of the investigation.

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Severin also faces child pornography charges as a result of videos that Hamilton Police say were found on his electronic devices.

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Hamilton Police started increasing patrols last summer in Westdale, in response to a reported increase in break and enters and “prowler” calls in the neighbourhoods around McMaster University.

The crime spree also prompted police and the university to issue safety messages urging the public to be vigilant about locking doors and securing windows, and a 49-year-old man was arrested fall in connection with three incidents.

Shemar Hackett, representing the McMaster Students Union, made a presentation to city council earlier this month requesting more lighting on “poorly lit streets” to improve “feelings of safety” among students living off campus.

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