Victoria Hall site of sexual assault

Student arrested for alleged assault on female in unlocked dorm room

According to a Queen’s Campus Security alert
According to a Queen’s Campus Security alert

A 21-year-old Queen’s student has been arrested in connection with the alleged sexual assault of another student that happened in her room in Victoria Hall last Friday. According to a Queen’s Campus Security alert, the male “piggy-backed” into Victoria Hall on Friday morning, entered an unlocked residence room and assaulted the female student.

Other students living in the residence reported hearing someone trying to enter their rooms, each of which were locked, the campus security website states.

One student confronted the man after the student found the man in his room. The man, Campus Security said, left the room.

Det. Const. Trevor Bethune of the Kingston Police’s sexual assault unit told the Kingston Whig-Standard the 21-year-old went for a bail hearing yesterday. Police didn’t release the man’s name but said he wasn’t from Kingston.

Bethune told the Whig-Standard it wouldn’t be difficult for someone who wasn’t a student to make their way inside a residence because of the number of people making their way through doors and hallways.

“[A residence] is a huge social network and it is a very busy place,” he said.

Bethune didn’t respond to the Journal’s requests for an interview.

Campus Security described the suspect as male, about 21years old, about five foot ten inches tall with short, reddish-blond hair, a slight tan and “chiseled features.” He was described as possibly having blue eyes.

“I believe he probably came in behind some other resident. It is unclear, but it’s assumed that’s how he got in,” said Vice-Principal (Academic) Patrick Deane, Queen’s spokesperson for the incident.

On Saturday, the male was arrested by Kingston Police.

“The police conducted an investigation on the complaint and the alleged assailant was found,” Deane said. “I believe he has been charged.” After the breach in residence security, an e-mail was issued by Campus Security reminding all Queen’s students to be vigilant about their personal safety by locking their residence rooms at all times, both during the night and anytime the room is unoccupied. Campus Security is urging students not to let anyone who doesn’t have a key follow him or her through locked residence doors and to report anyone who does not appear to live in the building to Campus Security.

Deane said this type of assault isn’t common at Queen’s.

“I don’t think any other person can remember something happening quite like this in the past at Queen’s.”

Deane said this unfortunate incident calls for increased security features in all residences.

“It’s too early to say just yet,” he said. “We’re looking into advanced locks and a device that can monitor people coming in and out of each building.”

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