Mounties have released a suspect sketch after a woman was kicked and sexually assaulted during a failed abduction attempt on Vancouver Island.
The victim was walking in downtown Duncan between 5:30 and 6:20 a.m. on New Year's Day when a man started verbally accosting her from a car near the Caprice Theatre on Queens Street.
When she tried to leave, the driver pulled the vehicle in front of her and got out to pull her inside, sexually assaulting her in the process, police say.
The victim resisted and fell to the ground, where her attacker allegedly kicked her several times in the back and stomach. She was taken to hospital for treatment of undisclosed injuries.
The suspect is described as a six-foot-tall white man in his late 40s, early 50s with a tooth missing on the upper left side of his mouth, messy white hair and a receding hairline. Police believe his face was injured during the struggle.
He was wearing blue jeans, a white V-neck shirt, black dress boots and a dark blue waterproof jacket with a collar.
In addition to the suspect sketch, police have released a black-and-white drawing of a full-colour tattoo the man has on his chest of a flaming skull. He also has a tattoo under his left ear of a circular pattern.
The suspect vehicle is described as a dark blue two-door Chevrolet Sunfire or Cavalier with damage to the passenger side. It had numerous stickers on the dashboard and a messy interior.
Police also want to speak to the driver of a white two-door short box pickup with large truck tires that was parked and idling near the scene of the attack.
Anyone with information regarding the case is asked to call North Cowichan-Duncan RCMP at 250-748-5522 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS.
