Toronto police confirm a 41-year-old man, known to Toronto’s Leslieville area for previous night prowling incidents, has been charged again in connection with several crimes in the neighbourhood.
Court documents obtained by Global News indicate Gerard Silas Purcell was charged with three counts of mischief under $5,000 and failure to comply with probation on July 16. He was released on July 18.
In January, Purcell was arrested and charged for criminal acts committed between Jan. 23 and Jan. 26, including attempted break and enter, assault, theft under $5,000, mischief/damage to property under $5,000 and four counts of breaching his probation.
Jessica Farber of Toronto recalled encountering Purcell on her way home from work in Riverdale on Jan. 25.
“I was looking at my phone as I walked along the street and I came across someone who grabbed my phone out of my hand … he smashed it on the ground and ran away,” she said.
Upon arriving at home, Farber said she and her husband wondered if the suspect could be the so-called “neighbourhood prowler.”
“It totally was and I made a police claim and ended up pressing charges which I think got him off the streets for a short period of time and then unfortunately he’s just been back several times now since that incident,” she said.
That was not the only incident at the time, said Farber.
Purcell has also been charged for incidents that occurred between May and October 2021.
“I don’t know what the system can do to protect our neighbours and to get him the help he needs,” said Farber.
At the time, police alleged the man was “seen prowling” and allegedly targeting several homes in the Leslie Street and Dundas Street area, trying to gain access overnight and in the early morning hours.
“If he’s knocking and harassing and being sent to jail or to the cops and they’re releasing him and he’s coming back then they need to say’ enough’s enough,'” a longtime Leslieville resident who preferred to remain anonymous told Global News.
Another resident who shared surveillance video of a man who fit the description of Purcell described a time when a suspect attempted to enter her home overnight.
“Alarm goes off at 1:45a.m., dogs start barking, person in video was seen trying to open the back door in the fire escape. Once he heard the alarm and dog, he ran down the stairs toward Hastings Avenue. He did attempt to open the door which sounded the alarm,” said the resident, who asked not to be named for safety reasons.
Toronto police Const. Caroline de Kloet told Global News that Purcell was released by the courts on July 18 and “is currently not wanted by police.”
“If members of the community see something suspicious, they are encouraged to call 416-808-2222 (non-emergency) or 9-1-1 for emergency or crime in progress,” she added.