Edmonton police ignored rape allegation, teen claims
An 18-year-old Edmonton woman claims she was ignored by police earlier this month when she reported she had been raped.
"I want something to be done about how I was treated so it doesn't happen to anybody else," she said in an interview with CBC News.
The teen called her mother the night of Feb. 17 to say she had been sexually assaulted at a west-end hotel.
Her lawyer, Parm Johal, said she was bruised, bleeding and terrified, so her mother called 911 and asked police for help.
Johal said when police arrived and looked up the girl's name they discovered she was breaching her parole conditions by being out past curfew and drinking alcohol.
Police arrested the woman and took her to the Edmonton Remand Centre on a minor outstanding warrant. It took more than 24 hours for Edmonton Remand Centre staff to send her to hospital for an examination.
After the sex assault was confirmed, she was taken back to the remand centre.
The girl was told by police she could file a report on the sexual assault once she was no longer in custody, Johal said.
The teen was not released from custody until last Friday — five days after being arrested. The charges against the teen were also dropped.
"They should have done their jobs, like she was all beat up," said the mother in an interview with CBC News. "I didn't see how she looked, just from what she told me before I called the cops. And how she cried — like she was crying on the phone — saying her face was really swollen. I was upset and scared."
But Edmonton police say the teen didn't report the sexual assault until she was at the remand centre.
"The officers contacted emergency medical services to check on the woman for injuries," said deputy police chief Brian Simpson.
"EMS treated the woman at the scene; however, there was no report of sexual assault at that time by her."
Edmonton police say they have launched an internal investigation.
A public rally is planned in support of the woman later this week.
