Niagara police make more arrests in historic Port Colborne sex assault case

Niagara police are calling it a network of alleged sexual predators, as they make 2 new arrests in a historical sexual assault investigation in Port Colborne.

The number of arrests in a string of sexual assaults over a 20 year period in Port Colborne has risen to 8.

54-year-old Joseph Verreault and 64-year-old Martin Johnston, both of Port Colborne, were arrested and charged.

The first arrest took place on June 25th when officers took a 55-year-old Port Colborne man into custody. That man is not being identified to protect his alleged victims, many of whom police say are members of his immediate family and under the age of 16.

He’s accused of committing sexual offences including incest, physical abuse and neglect. His arrest has led to more.

“Those sexual assaults were connected to a network of alleged offenders, so whether those offenders knew each other and were communicating, that’s part of what we’re looking into.” Phil Gavin, Niagara Regional police.

Eight victims have come forward so far, but that number is expected to rise. Investigators are also expecting more arrests to be made in the coming weeks.