2 men charged in connection with alleged UBC sex assault

A pair of men are facing charges of breaking and entering, sexual assault and forcible confinement in connection with an incident at an apartment building on UBC's Point Grey campus.

Just after 2:15 a.m. PT on Saturday, RCMP officers arrested two men involved in a suspected break and enter at an apartment building in the 5700 block of Birney Avenue.

David Singh Tucker, 28, and Yuan Zhi Gao, 23, are now both charged with one count of breaking and entering.

Tucker is also charged with three counts each of sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement, and robbery as well as one count of wearing a mask with intent to commit an indictable offence.

RCMP say the victims and suspects were not known to each other.

In response, UBC issued a campus safety alert on Sunday, reminding those on campus to be vigilant about their surroundings and to take measures to prevent unknown persons from entering residences.

"We realize the recent incidents of voyeurism and sexual assault have been unsettling to the community and we share your concerns," wrote Louise Cowin, UBC's vice president of students in a release.

"UBC will continue to work with the police, Campus Security and other campus community partners to continuously look for ways to improve the safety of students, faculty and staff on campus."

It's not yet clear if Saturday's incident is related to several reports in recent months of a prowler near female residences.

"Those investigations are continuing and as we move forward we will be looking to whether or not this latest incident or the men that were arrested and have since been charged have any relationship with those incidents," said Sgt. Annie Linteau.