Man charged with historic sex assaults

It can take a long time for victims of sexual assault to process the trauma and decide they want to pursue justice. While there are a number of reasons why a person would delay reporting a sexual assault, we are ready to investigate whenever a person comes forward.

An investigation into two such cases has resulted in charges being laid for sexual assaults that are alleged to have occurred more than three decades ago.

A woman contacted police a year ago to report an incident from the summer of 1982. She told us that when she was 12 years old, she was staying with family in Abbeydale when a male relative touched her sexually while they were sitting on a couch together. Another family member came forward at the same time to report a similar incident had happened to her in 1984, when she was also 12 years old.

Following a lengthy investigation, we have laid two charges against a man in connection with these cases.

Anthony KENDALL, 73, of Calgary, is charged with one count each of gross indecency and sexual assault. The charges are based on the Criminal Code in effect at the time of the alleged offences, not today’s laws.

We encourage anyone who has been a victim of sexual assault to contact us, no matter when the incident occurred. There are no time restrictions in Canada on how long police have to lay charges after a criminal offence occurs. While early reporting is always better as evidence gets lost over time, we do still investigate cases even if decades have passed.

Victims of sexual assault can now even help preserve evidence before involving police, thanks to a partnership between Alberta Health Services, Calgary Communities Against Sexual Abuse and us.

People can go to the Sheldon M. Chumir Urgent Care Centre up to four days after a sexual assault to receive confidential medical care and counselling support, during which medical staff can collect and preserve key physical evidence. Anything collected is stored for up to a year and is only provided to police if and when the victim decides they want to report the assault.

Anyone wishing to report a sexual assault is asked to call our non-emergency number at 403-266-1234, or 9-1-1 if someone is in immediate danger.

Case #19276534 & 19276536/4808