Man arrested for assault on SkyTrain attendant was subject of high-risk sex offender warnings last year
Metro Vancouver Transit Police are recommending several charges against a 29-year-old man arrested after a violent attack on a SkyTrain attendant over the weekend.
The incident occurred at Braid Station in New Westminster on Sunday, July 25, around 7:10 a.m., according to a news release from transit police.
Police said a man followed the attendant as she went into an employee crew room. He positioned himself "directly outside the door" and "allegedly began rubbing his genitals," police added.
When the attendant opened the door, the man forced it open and entered the room, punching the attendant in the stomach and shoving her to the ground, according to police.
"The SkyTrain attendant fought her attacker as he attempted to pull her to the ground, punching her in the head and pulling her hair," police said in their release. "She was eventually able to open the crew room door, with the suspect still trying to drag her back in, before she was finally able to free herself from him."
Transit police arrived shortly after the incident and arrested the suspect as he was trying to leave the station. While fighting with her attacker, the woman had used her radio to contact authorities, police said, praising her for her "bravery and courage."
The man arrested was Howard Geddes Skelding, who police described as "very well known" to them.
Both Vancouver police and Surrey RCMP issued warnings about a high-risk sex offender with that name last year, and transit police spokesperson Sgt. Clint Hampton confirmed that the man arrested Sunday was the subject of those warnings.
Geddes Skelding has been charged with one count of assault with a weapon, but transit police said they have recommended "several additional charges" against him, including sexual assault, indecent act, forcible confinement and robbery.
He is being held in custody and his next court appearance is scheduled for Aug. 11 at New Westminster provincial court, police said.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
What is whooping cough and should Canadians be concerned as Europe declares outbreak?
There is currently a whooping cough epidemic in Europe, with 10 times as many cases compared to the previous two years. While an outbreak has not been declared nationwide in Canada, whooping cough is regularly detected in the country.
Ontario Provincial Police arrest 64 suspects in child sexual exploitation investigation
Ontario Provincial Police say 64 suspects are facing a combined 348 charges in connection with a series of child sexual exploitation investigations that spanned the province.
'Summer of discontent': Federal unions vow to fight new 3-day a week office mandate
Federal unions are launching legal challenges and encouraging public sector workers to file "tens of thousands" of grievances over the new mandate requiring federal workers to return to the office at least three days a week in the fall.
Watch fighter jet pilots pummel fake enemy ship off coast of Philippines
The United States and Philippines held annual joint-training drills just off the Southeast Asian nation’s western coast on Wednesday. Military forces sunk a 'mock' enemy warship – the BRP Lake Caliraya, which was a decommissioned tanker made in China.
U.S. presidential candidate RFK Jr. had a brain worm, has recovered, campaign says
Independent U.S. presidential candidate Robert F. Kennedy Jr. had a parasite in his head more than a decade ago, but has fully recovered, his campaign said, after the New York Times reported about the ailment.
'Ozempic babies': Reports of surprise pregnancies raise new questions about weight loss drugs
Numerous women have shared stories of 'Ozempic babies' on social media. But the joy some experience in discovering pregnancies may come with anxiety about the unknowns.
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs to start for Canucks in Game 1 vs. Oilers
Rookie goalie Arturs Silovs will start in net for the Canucks as Vancouver kicks off a second-round series against the Edmonton Oilers Wednesday night.
OPINION What King Charles' schedule being too 'full' to accommodate son suggests
Prince Harry, the Duke of Sussex, has made headlines with his recent arrival in the U.K., this time to celebrate all things Invictus. But upon the prince landing in the U.K., we have already had confirmation that King Charles III won't have time to see his youngest son during his brief visit.
TSB concludes investigation into cause of London, Ont. freight train fire
More than two weeks after a freight train with several railcars ablaze rolled through the heart of the Forest City, the Transportation Safety Board (TSB) has concluded its investigation.