A 61-year-old who used to serve as a member of the municipal council in Brant County has been charged with sexual assault, and Hamilton police believe there may be more victims.
Police say the charges revolve around an incident with a youth who went to a central Hamilton home in late March, and was allegedly given cannabis before being sexually assaulted.
During the investigation, police learned about another youth who had been sexually assaulted on multiple occasions between December 2017 and last May.
The accused, Leonard Bekendam, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault and two counts of sexual interference.
Bekendam was a former Brant County councillor from 1994 to 1999 and served on the police services board for that region.
According to a 2013 article in the Brantford Expositor, Bekendam plead guilty in an Ontario court to 11 other criminal charges related to sexual exploitation over a 30-year period.
WATCH: Hamilton woman charged in connection to 4-year-old son’s death (Feb. 8)
Investigators are asking anyone with information to contact Detective Jamie Moore of the Child Abuse Unit by calling 905-546-3855.
To provide information anonymously call Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or submit your anonymous tips online.
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