Police have charged a 60-year-old Edmonton man in relation to two sexual assaults against women experiencing homelessness. Investigators believe there could be more victims.
The investigation started in January when west division beat officers were told that “a man was approaching women in and around emergency shelters, befriending them, then taking them back to his house, where he would confine them, and only let them go after the sexual assaults were committed,” said Staff Sgt. Harry Grewal, with EPS’ sexual assault section.
Police said they uncovered two incidents: one from July 2015 and another from December 2022.
“We did not become aware of this until January of this year,” Grewal said. “That’s all kudos to our west division beat members who spoke to the vulnerable females out in the community, gained their trust and built a relationship with them, for them to feel comfortable and come forward and actually lodge the formal complaint.”
A suspect was identified and police warned several local emergency shelters about him.
Donald Burnett, 60, was arrested on May 10 and charged with two counts each of sexual assault and forcible confinement.
He was released with conditions on July 19, police said, including that he cannot go near Hope Mission, Bissell Centre and the Christian Care Centre, or have any female person in his home or vehicle. Another condition was that he abide by an 8 p.m. to 6 a.m. curfew.
In a news release Thursday, EPS said investigators believe the accused could be specifically targeting vulnerable women and women experiencing homelessness.
Police said he may also go by the name Don or Donald Davidson and is known to drive a silver 2008 Dodge Caravan.
Police said they are not releasing a photo of Burnett “at this time” because it could affect the investigation.
“Speaking with the shelter staff, he is a known person to that population, so his name and description should allow people, especially survivors of sexual assault, to come forward and know what we’re talking about,” Grewal said.
He described the accused as five feet seven inches (170 centimetres) tall with a heavy build, blue eyes and brown hair.
“He himself visits shelters quite a bit and uses their services even though he has a house,” Grewal said. “That’s where he’d befriend vulnerable females.
“We’ve heard from community members that … (the suspect) often tells women not to come forward to police,” he added.
“We want to assure survivors that we are committed to investigating these assaults – we want to hear from you and provide support in any way we can.
“The police are here to help you navigate through this difficult time. Our main concern is their health and safety and to put them in touch with the social services out there and trauma services so they can help them, give them the right support they need after this traumatic experience,” Grewal said.
“We want all the survivors to come forward and provide us the complaint and give us the details so it can be investigated thoroughly and so that we can put the right charges, appropriate to the Crown,” Grewal added.
Since the accused’s arrest, police officers have gone to local shelters and the surrounding communities to encourage women to come forward.
“The shelters are fully aware of the charges that are being laid against this person… and they’ve been advised to be able to speak to their members who use the support from them to find out if they’re victims of any kind of crime.”
Since Burnett was recently released, EPS consulted with its legal team and decided to issue a media release to warn people in the community.
The accused is also known to Edmonton police and surrounding police agencies, Grewal said.
Nivedita Kunjur, director of communications with the Bissell Centre, said these incidents further highlight just how critical housing is.
“These attacks are absolutely tragic. Unfortunately, they are not surprising given the life-threatening risks the vulnerable population, especially those who live on the street, face every day.
“Incidents like this once again prove why housing and support systems are so crucial for the safety of those vulnerable population. Imagine living in perpetual fear for your safety and for your life. It’s absolutely inhuman.”
The Bissell Centre has safeguards in place to ban dangerous people from their facilities.
“As soon as we are aware of individuals who pose a threat to the safety of the vulnerable population, we immediately share those details with our outreach team and our housing team. We share their photographs and we flag them on our database so they cannot enter our space.”
Kunjur said a lot of the female clients Bissell serves already have previous trauma.
“Living on the street is itself a nightmare. Providing them whatever supports we can through our programs — whether it be mental support, cultural support, whatever that looks like — that’s our role in making sure they feel safe.”
Any potential victims are asked to contact the EPS at 780-423-4567 or #377 from a mobile phone. Anonymous information can also be submitted to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at www.p3tips.com/250.
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