Warning: This story contains disturbing details A man with a lengthy criminal history and a “willingness to target women” has been sentenced for what a B.C. judge described as a random and “vile” assault on a teen girl. Fitsum Wode Zewdu pleaded guilty to the assault, along with the unrelated charges of sexual assault and committing an indecent act, and was given a combined sentence of 695 days in jail. After credit for time served, the sentence amounted to an additional 228 days in custody. The assault on the 17-year-old girl victim, who was a stranger to Zewdu, occurred near a SkyTrain station in June of 2025 and the disturbing details of the attack are included in the sentencing decision, which was posted online Thursday. “Mr. Zewdu approached her from behind and grabbed her. He then smeared fecal matter over her face and mouth while pushing and jamming feces into her face and mouth Mr. Zewdu was laughing as he held out his phone, causing the victim to believe that Mr. Zewdu was recording the assault,” Judge Reginald Harris wrote, adding the assault was not filmed and ended when the victim screamed and ran to a nearby home to call 911. “The police promptly attended and they located Mr. Zewdu as he was approaching a second woman. This woman had a stroller and Mr. Zewdu asked her to smell his feces-covered hands.” ‘Most likely victims are women’ After his arrest, Zewdu—who the judge said has a history of violating court-ordered conditions—was released to a recovery home after spending 12 days in jail. However, he left “within hours of his arrival” and was arrested again two days later and charged with committing an indecent act. “Mr. Zewdu’s behaviour resulted in him being asked to leave an exotic strip lounge. Once outside, he went to the rear parking lot and he spotted a woman walking by. Mr. Zewdu approached the woman; he threatened to kill her and to beat the ‘s**t’ out of her. Throughout, he had his penis exposed,” Harris wrote in his decision, describing the second offence to which Zewdu pleaded guilty. In October of 2025, Zewdu was identified as a suspect and charged in a 2024 sexual assault at a SkyTrain station during which he “smacked the buttocks” of a woman waiting for a bus. An expert psychological report submitted as part of the sentencing process classified his risk to reoffend as high. “Mr. Zewdu’s risk of reoffence includes acts that involve serious psychological harm and physical harm that is unlikely to be lethal in nature,” the sentencing decision said, quoting from the report. “The most likely victims are women. Risk scenarios including unwanted touching (e.g. slapping buttocks, grabbing, smearing feces), exposing his genitals in public, masturbating in public, verbal threats, and boundary violations.” Criminal record ‘of concern’: judge Zewdu’s criminal record dates back to 2019, and includes convictions for mischief, committing an indecent act and sexual assault, as well as a number of breaches of court-ordered conditions. His previous offences included multiple attacks on women in public places, including an assault conviction for spitting in a woman’s face on a downtown Vancouver street, according to the sentencing decision. Two prior sexual assaults involved him randomly grabbing women from behind at a shopping mall and a bus loop. He was also charged in two incidents of public masturbation at a library and a SkyTrain station, according to the judgment. In two of these cases, Zewdu was arrested within hours of being released from custody. “Of concern is Mr. Zewdu’s criminal record. Notably, the nature of his convictions, the timing of his offences and the fact previous sentences have failed to ameliorate his offending behaviour,” Harris wrote. Impact on victims None of the victims of the three offences Zewdu was being sentenced for earlier this month submitted impact statements to the court. Still, the judge described what he saw as the probable effects of the crimes. “Common sense dictates that Mr. Zewdu’s conduct likely caused terror, created a fear of disease, hypervigilance, and concern about being out alone,” Harris wrote. “No doubt, his actions robbed the victims of feeling secure and to some measure limited their movement in the community.” The judge noted Zewdu’s significant mental health and substance abuse issues but found protecting the public was of paramount concern when crafting a sentence. “Mr. Zewdu engaged in the humiliating and disgusting act of putting feces in his victim’s face,” the judge wrote. “The vile nature of the unprovoked assault committed against a young woman who was a stranger to Mr. Zewdu warrants a sentence that strongly denounces and deters.” Defence counsel’s bid for a 10-month sentence in the assault of the teen girl was rejected as unfit in the circumstances, and Harris opted to impose the 15-month sentence sought by the Crown. In addition, he was sentenced to 180 days in jail for the indecent act outside the strip club, and 60 days for the sexual assault at the bus stop. After he is released from custody, he will be on probation for three years, with conditions including a prohibition on drug use and a requirement to participate in counselling or rehabilitation.
