46-year-old convicted sex offender arrested, charged after student attacked at U of Manitoba residence
CBC News | Posted: October 26, 2024 6:43 PM | Last Updated: October 26
Garry Junior Edwards, 46, was released from prison last November after convictions for violent sexual assaults
WARNING: This article may affect those who have experienced sexual violence or know someone affected by it.
A 46-year-old man who was convicted of two violent sexual assaults in 2013 has been arrested and faces several charges after a student was attacked while she slept at her University of Manitoba student residence early Friday morning.
Winnipeg police said Friday a man entered the Arthur V. Mauro Residence on Dafoe Road, at the U of M's south Winnipeg campus, and then broke into the victim's room at 4:45 a.m., while she was asleep.
The woman fought off the intruder after he entered her room and physically assaulted her. She was treated for injuries and was in stable condition, police said on Friday afternoon.
They released images from security video showing the suspect in the attack and a description of the man.
Around 11 p.m. Friday, officers responded to a call from a person who spotted a man matching that description along the south strip of Pembina Highway, police said in a Saturday update.
They found him in the 1800 block of Pembina Highway, north of Abinoji Mikanah. He was arrested and turned him over to the police service's sex crimes unit.
They say they've determined Garry Junior Edwards, 46, entered the residence building and broke into a secured area, and then into the victim's room.
Edwards now faces a number of charges, including sexual assault, robbery and several counts of breaking and entering, as well as a charge of attempting to overcome resistance by choking, suffocating or strangling a person in connection with the Friday attack.
History of sexual violence
Police also confirmed Edwards is a registered sex offender with a history of sexual violence.
In November 2023 and this past May, Manitoba Justice issued public notifications warning of his release from Stony Mountain Institution, just north of Winnipeg.
The notices, which identified him as Garry Edwards Jr., said he has a long criminal record, including convictions for sexual assault with a weapon, armed robbery, breaking and entering, theft, assault and numerous recognizance breaches.
The first notification said he was being released on Nov. 6, after serving a sentence for two counts of sexual assault with a weapon, two counts of armed robbery, flight from a peace officer, dangerous operation of a motor vehicle and theft over $5,000.
He was convicted of those offences on Oct. 29, 2013, and sentenced to 12 years, including pre-trial custody.
Police said at that point, his recent convictions were related to two incidents involving sexual assaults against strangers on the same day in April 2012.
In the first, he attacked a woman and dragged her into a dark area of a nearby building, where he sexually assaulted her after choking her and threatening to stab her.
Less than an hour later, he attacked a second person by sneaking in behind her as she entered a secured building. He robbed her at knifepoint, sexually assaulted her and then stole her vehicle. Police arrested him a short time later after spotting the stolen vehicle.
He was released in November under specific conditions.
The May 17 notification said he was being released from Stony Mountain Institution after serving a sentence for one count of being unlawfully at large, and warned he presented a risk of sexual violence to all women and girls.
For anyone who has been sexually assaulted, there is support available through crisis lines and local support services via the Ending Violence Association of Canada database. If you're in immediate danger or fear for your safety or that of others around you, please call 911.
The Winnipeg Police Service says anyone who has experienced sexual assault can access victim services at 204-986-6350 or through the Klinic sexual assault crisis line at 204-786-8631.