Man who attacked SkyTrain attendant sentenced to 10 years in prison
Howard Geddes Skelding is seen in this handout photo from the Vancouver Police Department.
A man who attacked a SkyTrain attendant in 2021 has been sentenced to 10 years in prison, transit police say.
Howard Geddes Skelding was found guilty on May 2 of assault causing bodily harm and forcible confinement. The charges against him stemmed from an incident that unfolded on July 25, 2021.
Metro Vancouver Transit Police say that, on that day, Skelding assaulted a SkyTrain attendant at Braid Station. According to investigators, Skelding pushed the attendant into a room she was exiting "and violently attacked her." The attendant fought Skelding off, called for help and was able to escape the room. Skelding was arrested at the scene.
"We commend the SkyTrain attendant for her strength and tenacity in fighting off her attacker in the midst of a horrific situation, and for the bravery she showed by facing him in court," Const. Amanda Steed said in a news release Thursday. "We would also like to extend our deepest gratitude to Crown counsel for their hard work on this file, which led to securing a meaningful sentence."
At the time Skelding was charged, police said he was "very well known" to them.
Both Vancouver police and Surrey RCMP issued warnings about a high-risk sex offender with that name in 2020, and transit police spokesperson Sgt. Clint Hampton confirmed to CTV News in 2021 the man arrested on July 25 of that year was the subject of those warnings.
Skelding has been in custody since his arrest in 2021.
With files from CTV News Vancouver's Ian Holliday
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