Man, 19, charged in three attacks on sex workers

A 19-year-old man is charged with sexually assaulting three sex-trade workers since April.

The first incident happened after a man arranged to meet a woman on the 1400 block of St. Matthews Avenue on April 25. The Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release Thursday that the woman was “sexually assaulted with a weapon.” The man was wielding a gun.

A similar incident happened on the 300 block of Hargrave Street on May 10. The victim was robbed of her phone at knifepoint during the attack. This time, a suspect was identified.

Police arrested Mohammed Al-Samraei at a business on the 1600 block of Kenaston Boulevard on Oct. 13, the release said. He was charged with two counts each of sexual assault with a weapon and carrying a concealed weapon, and single counts of assault, overcoming resistance by choking, pointing a firearm, possession of a firearm contrary to a prohibition order, uttering threats and theft under $5,000.

Police said investigators later linked Al-Samraei to a third incident. A man arranged to meet a woman on the 1700 block Sargent Avenue on Oct. 4 and sexually assaulted her. No weapon was used in that incident.

All three victims were taken to hospital after the attacks.

Officers re-arrested Al-Samraei for another count of sexual assault at the Winnipeg Remand Centre on Sunday. He remains in custody.

Court records show no one by that name has criminal convictions in Manitoba.

The WPS asked anyone who was the victim of similar incidents to call its counter-exploitation unit at 204-986-3464 or wps-ceu@winnipeg.ca.

fpcity@freepress.mb.ca