A 35-year-old Ottawa man has been charged with multiple sexual offences after a call for help on Thursday led police to a Westboro business, where they say they found a teen girl “hiding beside a bed.”
A worker from the Children’s Aid Society reported to Ottawa police on Jan. 23 that a 15-year-old girl had called them, saying she was “in distress and wanted help,” according to news release issued by the police service.
At around 4:15 p.m. that day, officers visited a unit in a business on the 400 block of Tweedsmuir Avenue and spoke to man “who claimed to be alone inside the unit,” the release said.
However, officers quickly found the 15-year-old girl hiding beside a bed and discovered she been in the unit since Thursday.
Police say the man faces charges of sexually assaulting a person under 16 years of age, sexual inference and invitation to sexual touching.
The man is scheduled to appear in court on Friday, according to police.
Sexual assault investigators say the case remains open and they are concerned there could be more victims.
Police urge anyone with information that could help investigators to call 613-236-1222, ext. 5944 or submit a tip through Crime Stoppers.
“The Ottawa Police will respect a victim’s wishes to pursue or not pursue the matter before the courts,” police said in the release.
“The reporting of these incidents by victims to police is key for investigators to identify suspects and determine crime trends.”
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