Youth facing charges after sexual assault, extortion reported near Halifax

Nova Scotia RCMP say a youth is facing charges for sexual offences that were reported in the community of Shad Bay, about 16 kilometres from Halifax.

In a Friday morning release, police say they began an investigation after receiving a complaint of a sexual assault involving youths on Oct. 27.

“Officers learned that sexual assaults, distribution of intimate images and extortion began in 2019,” the release said.

Cpl. Guillaume Tremblay said in an interview the sexual assaults happened inside of a home in Shad Bay and the victim was known to the offender.

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Details on age and gender of the individuals are not being made public to protect the privacy of those involved, he said.

A youth was arrested and released on conditions after being charged with two counts of sexual assault and one count of extortion. The youth is set to appear in Halifax court on Nov. 24.

Tremblay said this is an ongoing investigation.

“We believe there are more victims out there within the Halifax Regional Municipality,” he said, adding all victims are believed to be youths.

Tremblay said when a case involves distribution of images, electronics are often seized and it takes time to analyze them. He did not confirm whether electronics have been seized in the Shad Bay case, but said that’s part of an ongoing investigation.

“More victims can be identified and more charges could be laid,” he said.

“We do encourage anyone who believe they could be victims to contact police.”