First Nations woman remains fearful as police investigate assault
Thunder Bay police say alleged sexual assault may have been racially motivated
CBC News
Posted: Jan 2, 2013 8:41 AM ET
Last Updated: Jan 2, 2013 8:38 AM ET
Related
Related Stories
A First Nations woman who reported to police that she was sexually assaulted in Thunder Bay remains fearful, according to a family friend.
Christi Belcourt is acting as a spokesperson for the 36-year-old woman whose alleged assault is being investigated by Thunder Bay police as a possible hate crime.
“I'm hoping that, for the victim herself, if they catch the perpetrators, that she'll be able to at least feel safe,” Belcourt said. “Right now, she doesn't feel safe.”
Belcourt said there needs to be more attention paid to the issue of violence against Aboriginal women.
The woman reported to police she was abducted by two men on Dec. 27 in the city's north end. She told police the men made several racist remarks, drove her to a wooded area and sexually assaulted her.
Thunder Bay police say the "racially motivated" remarks made by the alleged assailants led them to pursue the investigation as a possible hate crime.
Police are asking anyone with information about the incident to call Crime Stoppers.
Share Tools
Latest Thunder Bay News Headlines
- Michipicoten River watershed under flood warning
- The Ministry of Natural Resources issued a flood warning Tuesday afternoon for the Michipicoten River watershed, near White River and Wawa. more »
- Avian Cholera kills Thunder Bay turkeys
- The mystery behind the deaths of some turkeys in the Mountain Road area seems to have been solved with the help of a wildlife pathologist. more »
- Fort William First Nation assessing flood damage
- Flooded homes and washed out roads prompted Fort William First Nation to declare a state of emergency. more »
- Horwath says NDP will support Ontario Liberal budget
- Ontario NDP Leader Andrea Horwath says her party will support the Liberal budget, avoiding a spring election, after the premier agreed to the NDP's call for an independent financial accountability officer. more »
Must Watch
Top News Headlines
- Senate to debate expense audits amid greater scrutiny
- The expenses scandal is dominating the first Senate session since the audits on senators Mike Duffy, Mac Harb and Patrick Brazeau were released and it was revealed Duffy's questionable expenses were repaid by a personal cheque from the prime minister's chief of staff. Follow our live blog. more »
- Search for deadly Oklahoma tornado survivors nears end
- The search for survivors and bodies following the most powerful type of tornado in an Oklahoma City suburb that levelled a school and killed at least nine children on Monday is almost over. more »
- Deadly Oklahoma tornado confirmed as most powerful type
- Emergency workers neared the end of their search Tuesday afternoon for survivors in Moore, Okla., following a deadly tornado that weather officials said was now classified among the most powerful type of twister. more »
- Only 1 set of human remains found at Millard farm, police say
- Hamilton police have confirmed that they are dealing with only a single set of human remains at the Waterloo region farm of Dellen Millard. more »
- Rob Ford faces more calls to address crack allegations
- Toronto Mayor Rob Ford went back to work after a holiday weekend, but he kept his mouth shut about an alleged video that two published reports say shows him smoking what appears to be a crack pipe. more »