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Calgary police charge man in historic sexual assault case

A 2021 study found 75 per cent of police-involved civilian fatalities in Canada involved a person experiencing a mental-health crisis or who was under the influence of a substance. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Jeff McIntosh

Calgary police have announced charges against a man in relation to a sexual assault that took place 30 years ago.

On May 4, 1991, police say a masked man broke into a home in the Southview neighbourhood.

A young mother, who was home with her toddler at the time, was attacked and sexually assaulted, police said in a news release Friday morning. The offender then left the home.

Read more: Cold cases treated differently by police forces across Canada

Police said the assault was investigated “extensively” at the time, but a suspect was never identified. As the decades went on, the file was reviewed and recently, police said advances in DNA science played a significant factor in identifying a suspect.

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“Forensic technology has advanced significantly since this sexual assault occurred,” said Staff Sgt. Michelle Doyle of the Calgary Police Service sexual assault investigative unit.

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“We never give up on these investigations, regardless of how much time has passed. Our investigators are dedicated to examining these cold cases to seek justice for victims of sexual assault.”

On Wednesday, the Calgary Police Service’s sexual assault investigative unit cold case team charged Thomas Craig Brodie, 48, with breaking and entering, sexual assault, disguise with intent, and forcible confinement in relation to the 1991 incident.

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