Charges have now been laid against a man in relation to the alleged beating and sexual assault of a 25 year old woman.
At approximately 2:00 a.m. on October 12th, the woman was leaving the Gastown area of Vancouver. She flagged down what she believed to be a cab in the 100 block of Water near Abbott Street and got inside. She was driven to an area in East Vancouver, severely beaten and sexually assaulted.
On October 13th, Vancouver Police issued a public warning and asked for the public’s help in identifying the suspect.
A canvass for video evidence by investigators and Community Safety Officers located CCTV footage following the attack that showed what officers believed to be the suspect van. On October 19th, police released a portion of that video to the public and made another appeal for information.
As the investigation progressed, police received some very helpful information. A witness observed a minivan, similar to the one described by the victim, driven by a man matching the suspect description. This witness was able to note the licence plate and forwarded it to police. Detectives were able to quickly identify a person of interest.
Yesterday afternoon, Vancouver Police arrested 50 year old Stephen Lee Schienbein in Surrey. Crown has now approved charges of sexual assault causing bodily harm, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement and assault. The investigation is ongoing and detectives continue to gather evidence.
As the case is now before the courts, there is no further information to share.
