A youth leader at a Calgary church has been charged with sexual assault, and the child victim says the assaults took place over a decade ago inside the church and at a home in the northwest.
“The accused cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act as he was a youth at the time of the offences,” police said in a statement Wednesday.
Police say the accused, who is now an adult, frequently works alone with children at a church.
In August, the victim came forward and said the abuse happened on numerous occasions between 2011 and 2013.
The victim was a member of El Renacer church and police believe the sexual assaults occurred at a residence in Panorama Hills, a community in the northwest and at the church.
The victim was seven years old at the time of the abuse and investigators believe the victim was pressured into unwanted sexual acts by the unnamed suspect.
The accused has been charged with one count of sexual assault and one count of invitation to sexual touching with a child under 16 years old.
Anyone with information about this incident can contact Calgary police at 403-266-1234 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
“It takes immense courage for victims of sexual assault to come forward to police, especially under these circumstances,” says Det. Tim Fitzgibbon of the Calgary Police Service sexual assault investigations unit.
“I want to thank the victim for speaking out.”
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