A trial is underway for a man accused in a disturbing break-and-enter on Church Avenue in Saanich that led to the sexual assault and robbery of two women on Jan. 27, 2016.
David Robert Hope is in court for one count of break and enter to commit an indictable offence, two counts of unlawful confinement or imprisonment, two counts of sexual assault and two counts of robbery.
It was about 7:20 p.m. when the women, two young foreign exchange students, answered the door believing “it was going to come off the hinges,” said Sgt. Dean Jantzen with Saanich Police, at the time.
When they opened the door the male then entered.
The court heard testimony that the attacker directed them to a bedroom and instructed the women to take off their clothes. They then offered him money, though the initial offering was deemed inadequate. At that point the suspect escorted the women to a local bank machine, at a Scotiabank in the Shelbourne corridor. That’s when they fled to the local Starbucks and asked the employee to call 911.
Saanich Police used interpreters to communicate with the women, who knew little English.
Hope, then 43, was later arrested on April 5, 2016, in Saskatoon. Major crime detectives with Saanich Police travelled to Saskatoon to make the arrest with Saskatoon Police.
Hope’s DNA matches that of a sample taken from the patio door of the women’s suite.
Following the incident the Saanich Police had received 39 public tips but none correctly identified the suspect.