Calgary

Apple Watch likely saved Calgary woman from man who had bag of rape tools

When he broke into her Calgary apartment, John Joseph Macindoe had everything he needed to drug, hog-tie and rape the woman he'd become so obsessed with that he even had a Ziploc bag containing some of her hair.

John Joseph Macindoe pleaded guilty to break and enter with intent to sexually assault

John Joseph Macindoe pleaded guilty to break and enter with intent. When police arrested him, he had broken into a woman's Calgary apartment and had a bag with a number of items inside that would have helped him sexually assault her. (Calgary Police Service)

When he broke into her Calgary apartment, John Joseph Macindoe had everything he needed to drug, hog-tie and rape the woman he'd become so obsessed with that he even had a Ziploc bag containing some of her hair.

Macindoe had a rape bag. Embroidered on its side were the words "Time to Go." Inside the kit were: a balaclava, buck knife, pliers, zip ties, condoms, lubricant, Benadryl, a ball gag, bondage straps and pink animal-print duct tape.

The victim's Apple Watch likely saved her from an attack.

Macindoe planned the rape for weeks, if not months. He had a clone of her building's access card and a copy of her key made.

On Tuesday, Macindoe pleaded guilty to break and enter with intent to sexually assault the woman, whose identity is protected by a publication ban. CBC News will call her Anna.

The agreed statement of facts tells the story of Anna's terrifying experience that happened just over six months ago.

CCTV footage from Anna's building shows Macindoe had been to her apartment seven times in March. 

On April 1, Anna came home from work and fell asleep on her sofa under two blankets with her phone plugged in beside her. She was wearing only underwear.

About 90 minutes later, she woke up to her dogs barking. Anna could see a dark figure moving around her condo. She was "paralyzed with fear."

One of the blankets had been taken off her.

"For 15 minutes Anna, terrified, remained on the couch, naked except for underwear and the one remaining blanket, and did the only thing she thought might protect her from this intruder: she pretended to be asleep," reads the court document.

She tried to look around without moving her head and noticed her phone was gone. Anna realized she was wearing an Apple Watch and managed to text her boyfriend, who called 911. 

She told police, "I literally thought I was going to die."

Condo blueprint

Macindoe hovered around her and at one point tried to touch her feet, but she pretended to shift in her sleep.

Finally, police arrived and pounded at the apartment door. Macindoe fled to the kitchen and Anna bolted to the door, sobbing and screaming.

Police found Macindoe in the kitchen with his rape bag.

While investigators searched his apartment, they found three pairs of Anna's underwear, the Ziploc bag with her hair, and a blueprint for her condo building with her apartment circled. 

The screensaver on Macindoe's computer was a photo of Anna.

Macindoe and the woman were known to each other, but they were not involved in any sort of relationship. 

He is now in custody.

Provincial court Judge Margaret Keelaghan will hear sentencing arguments from prosecutor Rosalind Greenwood and defence lawyer Rebecca Snukal at a later date.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Meghan Grant

CBC Calgary crime reporter

Meghan Grant is a justice affairs reporter. She has been covering courts, crime and stories of police accountability in southern Alberta for more than a decade. Send Meghan a story tip at meghan.grant@cbc.ca.