The RCMP is warning people to stay vigilant and avoid walking alone at night at the University of British Columbia (UBC) after two women reported that they were groped on campus in separate incidents.
The women, one 20 years old and the other 36, both said a suspect had approached them from behind, lifted up their skirts and grabbed their buttocks, according to RCMP.
The incident involving the 20-year-old woman occurred just before 3 a.m. on May 19, when RCMP said the victim screamed after being grabbed, causing the suspect to run away.
The woman said the suspect was a “Middle Eastern-looking man, in his early to mid-20s, with a slim build,” according to RCMP spokesperson Sgt. Peter Thiessen in a press release.
She also described the suspect as 5 feet 8 inches tall with “dark brush cut hair and a stubble beard with an oval shaped face,” and wearing a gray hooded jacket, dark blue jeans and white running shoes, Thiessen said.
The other incident occurred April 19, when the 36-year-old woman was grabbed by a male suspect described as slim, 5 feet 9 inches in height, of unknown race, and wearing a dark shirt, dark pants and dark shoes with a white trim, the RCMP said.
“At this point it is not clear to police if there are one or two suspects, however we recognize the circumstances are very similar in how the women were assaulted,” Thiessen said. “We’re reminding everyone walking on the campus at night to be vigilant of their surroundings and to walk with someone else if at all possible.”
UBC security director Barry Eccleton said that during the night of the incidents, safety department officers and police were both called to each scene after the suspects fled.
He said the incidents are believed to be related, due to the similarities in both victims’ reports, adding that the two situations also took place in the same general area on campus within a short period of time.
However, Eccleton noted that the descriptions the women had given were “probably not 100 per cent correct,” since both took place while it was dark outside and because the suspect in both incidents came from behind and surprised the victims.
“The University is doing everything possible to assist the RCMP in their investigation,” a UBC safety alert said. “Campus Security and the RCMP continue to provide preventative patrols and response to reported incidents.”
Eccleton said groping incidents are relatively uncommon at UBC, adding the campus is generally safe due to its low crime rate when compared to other campuses with high populations.
