46-year-old convicted sex offender arrested, charged after student attacked at U of Manitoba residence
CBC
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
A 46-year-old man who was convicted of two violent sexual assaults in 2013 has been arrested and faces several charges after a student was attacked while she slept at her University of Manitoba student residence early Friday morning.
Winnipeg police said Friday a man entered the Arthur V. Mauro Residence on Dafoe Road, at the U of M's south Winnipeg campus, and then broke into the victim's room at 4:45 a.m., while she was asleep.
The woman fought off the intruder after he entered her room and physically assaulted her. She was treated for injuries and was in stable condition, police said on Friday afternoon.
They released images from security video showing the suspect in the attack and a description of the man.
Around 11 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a call from a person who spotted a man matching that description along the south strip of Pembina Highway, police said in a Saturday update.
They found him in the 1800 block of Pembina Highway, north of Abinoji Mikanah. He was arrested and turned him over to the police service's sex crimes unit.
They say they've determined Garry Junior Edwards, 46, entered the residence building and broke into a secured area, and then into the victim's room.
Edwards now faces a number of charges, including sexual assault, robbery and several counts of breaking and entering, as well as a charge of attempting to overcome resistance by choking, suffocating or strangling a person in connection with the Friday attack.
Police also confirmed Edwards is a registered sex offender with a history of sexual violence.
In November 2023 and this past May, Manitoba Justice issued public notifications warning of his release from Stony Mountain Institution, just north of Winnipeg.
The notices, which identified him as Garry Edwards Jr., said he has a long criminal record, including convictions for sexual assault with a weapon, armed robbery, breaking and entering, theft, assault and numerous recognizance breaches.
The first notification said he was being released on Nov. 6, after serving a sentence for two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, two counts of armed robbery, flight from a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and theft over $5,000.
He was convicted of those offences on Oct. 29, 2013, and sentenced to 12 years, including pre-trial custody.
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