Suspect who allegedly followed girl off bus charged with sexual assault

Hamilton police say they have identified a suspect who allegedly sexually assaulted a girl after following her off an HSR bus Monday night.

The victim - a female under 16 - got off the bus at Mud Street West and Paramount Drive around 11:40 p.m. and was followed by an unknown man, police said. The suspect allegedly followed her toward a nearby trail where she was sexually assaulted.

The following day police issued a public appeal for help identifying the suspect, who was allegedly captured on HSR surveillance video.

A 27-year-old man was arrested Wednesday night. He faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and making sexual explicit material available to a person under 16.

He was released on an undertaking and will appear in court at a later date.

Police thanked the community for their help identifying the suspect.

Anyone with information is asked to call Det. Michael Dunham of the crimes against children's unit at 905-546-4847 or Det. Sgt. Michelle Wiley at 905-540-6375.

Nicole O'Reilly is a crime and justice reporter at The Spectator. noreilly@thespec.com