Witnesses to B.C. teen’s sex assault warned not to post pictures

Witnesses who may have snapped pictures of an underage girl being sexually assaulted in Kamloops overnight are being warned to keep the images off social media.

Mounties are probing allegations that a stranger dragged a 17-year-old girl into the bushes and attacked her during an outdoor grad party Tuesday night.

Few details have been confirmed, but it already appears the case shares disturbing similarities to another alleged sex assault in Maple Ridge three years ago, where Facebook users shared pictures of the alleged victim and others viciously attacked her in comments.

“RCMP investigators believe there are individuals who witnessed what took place and have photographs of the incident,” Kamloops RCMP Cpl. Cheryl Bush said in a statement.

“We want to see this case unfold differently for this victim, compared to what has happened in the past.”

Mounties are urging potential witnesses to turn their pictures over to police as evidence of an alleged criminal act. Those who instead choose to post or share the images could face child pornography charges, a crime that carries a maximum sentence of 10 years in prison.

“The community as a whole has an important role to play in assisting our investigation and providing support to the victim rather than victimizing her further,” Bush said.

The Maple Ridge investigation resulted in two people, a young man and a teenager, being charged with possession of child pornography. Both pleaded guilty to a lesser charge of distributing obscene material.

Tuesday’s grad party was held in the Tree Flats area of Kamloops’ Barnhartvale neighbourhood. Police estimate about 1,000 students from various high schools attended.

After the alleged assault, the girl phoned her parents, who took her to Royal Inland Hospital and reported the incident to police.

Anyone with information is asked to call Kamloops RCMP at 250-314-1800, or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS if they wish to remain anonymous.