Vancouver Police are asking for the public's help in tracking down a suspect in an early morning sexual assault.
Police say a man picked up a sex trade worker Monday morning at the corner of Gore St. and East Hastings St. and drove her to the Wall Street area where she was assaulted.
Assaults on sex-trade workers are not uncommon, but the reporting of them is, says Kate Gibson, the executive director of the WISH Woman's Drop in Centre in the city's downtown eastside. Gibson estimates that only 20 per cent of incidents are reported.
"People are very reluctant, whether they are in the sex industry or not, to report (sexual assaults) for a number of reasons. When you go (report) it you have to relive the assault and it's not something people are necessarily going to do."
Gibson says it's even rarer for victims to report an assault directly to police but says it's a good sign.
"It's a very positive thing I think that she trusted talking to them to report her assault."
The suspect is described as white, in his 30s, 5'8" tall, with a slim build and wearing glasses. He was driving a blue Ford Ranger pick-up truck.
Anyone with information is asked to call 911 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477.
