Toronto police say a 12-year-old boy has been arrested in relation to a series of sexual assaults that were reported on walking trails in the city’s east end last year.
In 2022, over the course of several months, victims had reported being sexually assaulted by a young “teenage” boy, who was riding a bicycle, while they were out walking, jogging or biking along the paths.
Sexual assaults were reported along walking trails like the Gatineau Hydro Corridor Trail — a trail that runs just north of Eglinton Avenue East, between Victoria Park Avenue and Kennedy Road, and the East Don River Trail near the Don Valley Parkway.
A 12-year-old boy, who cannot be named due to the Youth Criminal Justice Act, was arrested on Monday.
He is facing two counts of sexual assault.
In a long list of previous incidents, police have linked the accused to at least six different sexual assaults that occurred between July 7 and Sept. 6.
However, police said it was determined that in the first five reported incidents the boy was only 11 years old and “therefore cannot be charged criminally.”