Joint operation announces arrest in historic sexual assault cases that began in Kitchener
Posted Mar 13, 2024 06:45:14 AM.
Last Updated Mar 13, 2024 12:40:27 PM.
An arrest has been made for one of the most shocking violent crimes in Kitchener from the 1990s.
A statement has been issued by a multi-jurisdictional task force including investigators with Waterloo Regional Police, Peel Regional Police and Halton Regional Police, confirming the arrest of a 64-year-old man from British Columbia.
The ‘Project Woodland’ investigation followed a number of historic sexual assaults involving children in Kitchener, Brampton, and Oakville – across parks and wooded areas.
DNA samples gathered during the investigations in the mid-90s indicated it was the same suspect in multiple attacks.
In the Kitchener case in Aug. of 1992, a man allegedly talked a boy at Idlewood Park into coming to look at a stolen bicycle, then sexually assaulted the boy while threatening him with a knife.
Investigators made their arrest on Mar. 3, charging 64-year-old Richard Neil of British Columbia with 20 criminal charges, including:
- Kidnapping
- Uttering Death Threats
- Sexual Assault
- Sexual Assault with a Weapon
- Sexual Interference
- Invitation to Sexual Touching
- Administering Noxious Thing with Intent
- Forcible Confinement
The accused has been held in custody for a bail hearing.
“We feel as though it’s important to be looking at our historical cases and reopening that page,” said Constable Taryn Young with Peel Regional Police. “Being able to close that page is something that I’m sure our investigators really are happy to have, and we are ecstatic that we are able to close that chapter as well.”
A publication ban is in place to protect the identity of the victims.
