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According to a media release by the London Police Service, the assault took place around 12:10 a.m. last week at Richmond and Hyman Street. When the victim was waiting for her driver to pick her up, a man she did not know approached her.  

The release states that the suspect asked the woman if she was alright and helped her into the vehicle when it arrived. He proceeded to go into the back seat with her, said police.  

Police say after driving for a bit, the woman stated she felt sick and asked the driver to pull over.  Both passengers got out of the car and the man asked the driver to leave.  

As reported by investigators, the man sexually assaulted the woman once they were alone. The victim fled the scene and asked a nearby pedestrian to call 911. Officers came to the scene shortly after but were unable to locate the suspect.  

London police have released an updated picture of the suspect and ask for the public’s help in identifying him. He is described to be male, Brown, approximately 5’8” with a medium build, clean shaven, and has short, dark brown hair. On the night of the reporting, he wore a dark blue long sleeve shirt, brown pants, and white shoes.  

This incident occurred just two weeks after the mayor spoke out about the appearance of violent graffiti targeted towards women on a northwest London bridge and sidewalk. Painted on the walls read, “Females should be hung,” “F**ck the W**res” and “kill women.” 

In response to the graffiti, Josh Morgan posted a statement on Facebook, stating,  “Let me be absolutely clear: there is no place in London for hatred, intolerance, or attempts to intimidate and marginalize members of our community. This graffiti does not reflect who we are as a city.” 

Two days after the graffiti was located, the Take Back the Night march resumed its events for the first time since 2020.  

In collaboration with local advocacy groups and the City of London, the event organizers demand for the termination of sexual and gender-based violence. 

Among these groups is Anova, an organization committed to providing shelter, counseling, crisis response, and resources for those impacted by sexual violence and violence against women. 

Allison Preyde, the manager of prevention and education of Anova was scheduled to comment but unable to do so in time of publication.  

In July 2023, City Council officially recognized intimidate partner violence and femicide as an epidemic. According to the resolution, “the issues of violence against women and girls in London [must] BE RECOGNIZED as serious to the health and wellness of local families.”   

Additionally, the request was made for Morgan’s government to consider petitioning for the term “Femicide” to be added to the Criminal Code at the approval of the Government of Canada.   

This case is prominent among many other gender-based and sexually violent investigations. Most notably, in September 2021 during Western University’s orientation week, it was reported that up to 30 female students were drugged and sexually assaulted at a first-year residence building. Additionally, Jamie Caine, a teacher based in London, was released after two days in custody after being accused of sexually assaulting a female student.  

As of today, the suspect is still at large and members of the LPS Sexual Assault and Child Abuse Section are currently undergoing an investigation.  

Anyone with information is asked to call LPS (519) 661-5670 or Crime Stoppers 1-000-222-8477.