Man charged in playground sexual assault

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This article was published 02/07/2024 (641 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

A man has been charged after a girl was touched “in a sexual manner” at a school playground.

The Winnipeg Police Service asked for the public’s help last month in finding a suspect in connection with the June 1 incident.

Exactly one month later, on Canada Day, police were called about a suspicious man asking to take a picture of a child at a park on the 500 block of King Street. A concerned adult followed the man and gave police a description.

Police, believing the man might be a suspect in the June 1 incident, arrested a man at a home on the 100 block of Jarvis Avenue at about 6:30 p.m. on July 1.

Albert Kema, 23, of Winnipeg, is charged with sexual assault and sexual interference — both in connection with the June incident — and detained in custody. He has no criminal record in Manitoba.

The sexual assault happened at the playground at Niji Mahkwa School at 450 Flora Ave. in the Dufferin neighbourhood at about 5:15 p.m. on June 1. Police said a few days later that the victim and another child were at the playground when a man approached them and made sexually explicit comments before grabbing the victim.

The child broke free, and both kids ran home and reported the incident to an adult. Neither of the children needed medical attention, police said. Police did not release the girl’s age but said she is an elementary school student.