A London, Ont., man is facing multiple charges, including assault and sexual assault, after several incidents in the city last month in which women were attacked while walking their children, according to a police news release.
Police say the first incident happened on June 8, when they received multiple 911 calls from members of the public between 10:30 a.m. and 12:10 p.m. reporting “erratic behaviour” by a man in the area of Dudley Crescent and Millbank Drive.
The callers said the man was following children and engaging in assaultive and sexually assaultive behaviour towards others, police said. They provided responding officers with a description of the suspect.
Police found the man in the 900 block of Southdale Road East and took him into custody.
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Upon further investigation, police determined the man was involved in several earlier incidents, according to the release.
At about 8:20 a.m., police said a woman walking with her children in the 1000 block of Southdale Road was followed by the suspect. When she confronted him, he assaulted her, police said.
About 50 minutes later, the suspect followed a second woman walking with her children. In this incident, he began a conversation with her before assaulting and sexually assaulting her, according to police.
In the third incident, a woman was leaving a residence with a young child at approximately 9:40 a.m. on Southdale Road East and saw the suspect approaching. According to police, he spoke with her and followed her as she walked to a nearby school. When they neared an intersection, police said he assaulted and sexually assaulted the woman before leaving the area.
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Mandella Asouth of London, 29, has been charged with two counts of sexual assault, three counts of assault and three counts of criminal harassment by repeated following.
Asouth remains in police custody.
Members of the patrol operations investigative section have taken over the investigation and believe there may be additional members of the community who had interactions with the suspect, including other potential victims.
Anyone who may have had contact with Asouth is asked to speak with investigators.
People who were in the area of Millbank Drive near Southdale Road East or Dudley Crescent between 8:20 a.m. and 12:20 p.m. on June 8 are also asked to come forward. Anyone with information, dashcam footage or residential or business surveillance video is asked to call police.