One of two sexual assaults that alarmed Langley last summer was a false report, the RCMP says.
In June and August last year, police released sketches of a man suspected in attacks on two teens in Langley City and Brookswood.
While the first attack is still considered very real and remains under investigation, police have determined that the second one was false, and the alleged victim has now recanted her story, said Cpl. Holly Marks of the Langley RCMP.
“She says that she was just looking for attention,†said Marks.
The woman claimed she was walking near Douglas Park on Aug. 20 when she was pushed to the ground, threatened with a knife and assaulted. Her purse and iPod were then stolen. The man was wearing what looked like swimming goggles during the attack, the woman told police.
A description of the man turned out to be very similar to one of the perpetrator in a previous attack.
Police released sketches from both incidents and asked for public help in finding the attacker.
However, investigators determined that the second story was not true. Marks can’t say how they came to that conclusion, as charges may be pending against the woman.
“We are going to consider public mischief charges,†she said. Police have not made a decision on whether to recommend charges yet.
False reports such as this are uncommon.
In the first reported attack, still considered real and still under investigation, a 16-year-old girl was waiting at a bus stop in Brookswood on June 22.
A man in a silver hatchback pulled up and ordered her to get into his car, drove her to a church parking lot in the 21200 block of 56th Avenue, assaulted her, and then released her near the Logan Avenue bus loop in Langley City.
The man used a knife to threaten the girl.
Anyone with information on the first attack or the suspect in the first sketch can call the Langley RCMP at 604-532-3200, or to remain anonymous, call CrimeStoppers at 1-800-222-8477 (TIPS).