Man pretends to be apartment building worker, charged with sexual assault: Halifax police

A 24-year-old man is facing charges after Halifax police said he entered two apartment units after lying to the female tenants about being a building management employee.

Officers were first called to the building — in the 200-block of the Bedford Highway — at around 4:40 p.m. on Saturday.

Police said the suspect “pretended to be a representative of the building’s management” and said he was there to do an inspection of the apartment. According to police, he “pushed past the tenant and walked into the apartment.”

“When she called to verify the man’s identity, he left the apartment,” police wrote in a release.

She called police and while on scene, a second call came in to police about a similar incident in the building. In that case, the man allegedly left the unit after being confronted by the woman’s roommate.

A suspect was arrested in the area not long after.

Samuel Boimah McGill, 24, was initially charged with two counts of being unlawfully in a dwelling house and one count of assault in relation to the second incident.

“As part of the ongoing investigation, investigators with the Sexual Assault Investigative Team determined that a sexual assault had occurred in both incidents and the charges were amended on March 30,” police said.

McGill is now facing the following charges:

• Sexual assault (x2)
• Break and enter (x2)
• Unlawful confinement

Halifax Regional Police spokesperson Const. John MacLeod said both women “followed their instinct,” became uncomfortable with the man’s behaviour and called police.

“It’s always good to verify who is coming into your home,” he said.

He also suggested tenants familiarize themselves with the tenancy act, and know what their rights are when management does legitimately enter their units.