Niagara police appeal for help in downtown Welland sex assault, suspects at large

Update: In an update on Feb. 13, Niagara Regional Police Service say the initial details provided regarding this alleged sexual assault were inaccurate. Investigators say there is no threat to public safety and it was not a random incident.

Niagara police are asking for the public’s help in finding two suspects involved in the sexual assault of a woman on Jan. 10 in downtown Welland.

The alleged sexual assault happened around 9 p.m. when the woman — who had been walking on East Main Street near Cross Street — was suddenly struck from behind and knocked unconscious.

She awoke to find that she had been dragged into a nearby alley and sexually assault by two unknown men.

The victim, who is reported to be in her 40s, was left in the passageway by the suspects. She then made her way to a local hospital on her own for treatment of minor physical injuries and sexual assault.

The suspects are described as a man of medium build and a man wearing a dark balaclava who appeared to have dark brown sideburns and eyebrows.

Detectives from the NRPS Sexual Assault Unit have been assigned to the investigation and will be canvassing the area for information over the next few days.

Residents or business owners in the area with closed-circuit video recording or dashcam footage are asked to review the footage between 8 p.m. on Jan. 10 and 4 a.m. on Jan. 11 and contact police if they observe the victim, the suspects or anything suspicious.

The victim was wearing dark-coloured snow pants and a dark-coloured winter coat at the time of the assault.

The Welland community is asked to maintain heightened vigilance and report anything suspicious. Investigating officers can be contacted on 905-688-4111, option 3, extension 1009407.

Members of the public who wish to provide information anonymously can contact Crime Stoppers of Niagara or by calling 800-222-8477. Crime Stoppers offers cash rewards to persons who contact the program with information which leads to an arrest.

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