 |
| Toronto Police released this photo of Devon Steven Simpson, 32. |
Sex Assault in Scarborough Knob Hill Park
A park that is often used by children and parents as a short cut to and from school is now seen as dark, tainted, and unsafe.
On Tuesday, November 2, 2010, at roughly 3:30 p.m., it was alleged that a 13-year-old girl was walking through Knob Hill Park after school in the Brimley Road and Graylee Avenue area, which also connects to Danforth Road, when she was approached by a man and sexually assaulted.
According to a news release from Toronto police on Wednesday, November 3, 2010, it mentioned that the man “engaged her [the 13-year-old girl] in conversation” and assaulted her once “they approached a secluded area”.
The Toronto police and news media outlets described the accused male as “5’6, 160 lbs., with short, brown hair and brown eyes.”
The man fled the scene at the time but “through investigation, the suspect was identified and a warrant was issued for his arrest and he turned himself in,” Det.-Sgt. Steve Foden said.
Through thorough investigation, and DNA results, police have identified the suspect as 32-year-old Devon Steven Simpson who walked into a police station on the following Saturday evening and turned himself in.
Simpson is currently in police custody and “he is charged with sexual assault,” confirmed Det.-Sgt. Foden.
Det.-Sgt. Foden of 43 Division was not able to say much in regards to the incident and the victim because it is currently in the hands of detectives in the Sex Crimes Unit.
“It happened in 43 Division but now it is not our case, it’s the Sex Crimes Unit who’s in charge,” stated Det.-Sgt. Foden.
When asked if there were any accounts by eyewitnesses, Det.-Sgt. Foden said, “The victim did report it to someone afterwards but there was nobody there that witnessed it, there was no other person than the victim and the accused.”
Officials confirmed that the 13-year-old’s mother called 9-1-1 once she got home and was immediately rushed to Sick Kids Hospital to receive medical attention.
“She reported to the police, we took the information from her and with all sexual assault victims, we take them and they get medical treatment,” Det.-Sgt. Foden said.
The 13-year-old victim was reported to have been treated and released from hospital. Updates on her condition are with sex crimes detectives. “If there’s any contact with the victim, it’s with the sex crimes detective,” confirmed Det.-Sgt. Foden.
Det. Kim Hencock of the Sex Crimes Unit was unreachable but officials at 43 Division have said this incident is under an ongoing investigation.
Knob Hill JR. Public School is located right by Brimley Road and Graylee Avenue area where the sex assault case took place in broad daylight. It is understood that the 13-year-old victim walked passed the school right before she reached the park and was approached and assaulted by 32-year-old Devon Steven Simpson.
“It is one of the concerns for my community,” said Sharon White, principal at the Knob Hill JR. Public School who spoke on the incident. “But the fact that it’s located that close to a school doesn’t change the fact that it’s a serious incident that happened in a community and affected a community,” continued White as she went on to explain that just because the incident happened so close to the school, it didn’t affect the school a whole lot but safety measures were regarded.
Once White was aware of the sexual assault incident, she took immediate precautions and had more supervisors out in the field during the children’s recesses the following day.
“Generally we have very good supervision, there are many teachers out there. However, we did send a letter home to our community informing them that an incident happened nearby and just reiterating street safety tips and making sure that there’s appropriate supervision for children,” said White with a soft-spoken, diligent voice.
White continued to explain the safety measures and regulations the school follows when adults and strangers enter the school property.
“Whether it was this person or not [referring to the 32-year-old suspect, Devon Steven Simpson] our general supervision for teachers are that anybody who enters the school property has to check in at the office first- whether in the field or coming into the building directly,” White said. “If there are adults on the field that my teachers don’t know then they approach them and ask them if they can help them and then they’ll direct them to our school office,” continued White.
White explained that (for example) if a stranger looked suspicious and was not cooperating with the staff, or if the suspect from the sexual assault case was present in the yard and made the school community feel unsafe, she mentioned that she would then put the school on lockdown.
“A lockdown is a very serious thing that happens when there’s an immediate threat to the safety of the people in the building,” White said.
When asked if she was immediately notified of the incident and if she heard anything from witnesses, parents, or students, White stated, “No, I personally was not [notified of incident immediately]. I don’t know when the incident happened, I just know that the media reported that it happened then but I don’t have the information and I haven’t heard anything from anyone.”
Residents of the area are in shock that the sexual assault incident had happened so close to them. Many parents are shaken because their children and the children in their community all attend schools within the area- many of which attend Knob Hill JR. Public School.
“I can’t believe that could happen! It’s always busy with parents and children after school around 3:30 when it [the sexual assault incident] happened! I have friends in the building who walk their children past there in the morning and pick them up in the afternoon,” said Susan B. a resident at a nearby building.
Residents around the Toronto east-end park are now safe from 32-year-old suspect, Devon Steven Simpson as he remains in police custody with a pending bail hearing.
No comments:
Post a Comment