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Five assaults at Big White
Since the end of November, five separate woman have come forward to
report an assault of one kind or another. The first, a 21-year-old
woman said she was sexually assaulted outside a Big White pub on Nov.
27. The suspect asked the woman to drink with him at the pub. When she
refused, he grabbed her, punched her in the eye and forcefully sexually
assaulted her, according to Const. Steve Holmes. A few days later, a
woman fought off an attacker who pushed her down from behind, Holmes
said.
Less than two months later two other woman said they were attacked and Big White staff were warning resort visitors and residents to lock their doors.
The attacks, said to have occurred on Sunday, reportedly happened within an hour of each other. A 22-year-old woman said she woke up to find a man standing beside her bed touching her. He then fled. A 36-year-old woman said she was assaulted in a similar way later that morning, while she was sleeping in a condo several blocks away from where the first attack reportedly happened. The woman's boyfriend chased the man away after she screamed.
"For the first two (alleged assaults) we had a fairly consistent description with respect to the suspect," Holmes said. He was described as short, thin and in his 20s.
Similar to accounts of assaults on Sunday, a third woman came forward saying she was touched sexually while she was sleeping early on the Wednesday morning, Const. Steve Holmes said. In that assault, the man was wearing a hood and the victim didn't get a good look at his face, Holmes said.
"We rely on the best recollection of the victims . . . In (the latest) case we have someone taller," said Holmes. The 22-year-old woman said she woke up to a man rubbing her leg, Holmes said. After the woman screamed, the suspect ran away, he said.
"Like the other incidents we had recently, the male gained entry through an unlocked door of the condominium she was staying in," Holmes said. There appeared to be similarities in the three incidents, but Holmes would not say if police suspect the same person. "We're either dealing with the same person or dealing with a copy cat," he said. The perpetrator of the November attacks is beleived to have left the hill.
The ski hill and surrounding village are patrolled 24 hours a day by security guards and RCMP, said Michael Ballingall, who added he didn't expect the incidents to affect business at the resort, which averages about 4,000 to 5,000 visitors each week but can have as many as 17,000 people, including residents, on the property at any given time, he said.
Less than two months later two other woman said they were attacked and Big White staff were warning resort visitors and residents to lock their doors.
The attacks, said to have occurred on Sunday, reportedly happened within an hour of each other. A 22-year-old woman said she woke up to find a man standing beside her bed touching her. He then fled. A 36-year-old woman said she was assaulted in a similar way later that morning, while she was sleeping in a condo several blocks away from where the first attack reportedly happened. The woman's boyfriend chased the man away after she screamed.
"For the first two (alleged assaults) we had a fairly consistent description with respect to the suspect," Holmes said. He was described as short, thin and in his 20s.
Similar to accounts of assaults on Sunday, a third woman came forward saying she was touched sexually while she was sleeping early on the Wednesday morning, Const. Steve Holmes said. In that assault, the man was wearing a hood and the victim didn't get a good look at his face, Holmes said.
"We rely on the best recollection of the victims . . . In (the latest) case we have someone taller," said Holmes. The 22-year-old woman said she woke up to a man rubbing her leg, Holmes said. After the woman screamed, the suspect ran away, he said.
"Like the other incidents we had recently, the male gained entry through an unlocked door of the condominium she was staying in," Holmes said. There appeared to be similarities in the three incidents, but Holmes would not say if police suspect the same person. "We're either dealing with the same person or dealing with a copy cat," he said. The perpetrator of the November attacks is beleived to have left the hill.
The ski hill and surrounding village are patrolled 24 hours a day by security guards and RCMP, said Michael Ballingall, who added he didn't expect the incidents to affect business at the resort, which averages about 4,000 to 5,000 visitors each week but can have as many as 17,000 people, including residents, on the property at any given time, he said.