London police have charged a 44-year-old St. Thomas man with kidnapping and several weapons-related offences after investigators allege a woman was abducted at knifepoint and sexually assaulted in broad daylight last month. Police have identified the accused as Gregory Zehr and released his name and photograph in hopes of identifying additional victims or witnesses. Investigators allege the incident occurred between 11:30 a.m. and noon on June 4 in the 600 block of Adelaide Street North. Police said the woman was lured into the suspect’s vehicle under false pretences before the man allegedly produced a knife, restrained her hands and drove her to the area of Oxford Street East and Mornington Avenue, where she was sexually assaulted. After the suspect fled, the woman contacted police. Investigators reviewed surveillance video and witness descriptions during the investigation, identifying the suspect vehicle as a grey 2014 Ford Focus. Zehr was arrested on June 5. He has been charged with kidnapping, sexual assault with a weapon, forcible confinement, uttering threats of death or bodily harm, assault with a weapon and possession of a weapon. Police said Zehr remains in custody and his bail hearing has been postponed. London Police Chief Thai Truong said the investigation meets the criteria for Ontario’s Major Case Management model because it involves an alleged stranger-on-stranger sexual assault. “It is a serious offence,” Truong said. “Stranger-to-stranger sexual assaults require an elevated, serious investigation, and there are resources that go into investigations such as this.” Police are encouraging anyone who may have had contact with the accused, or who may have experienced a similar incident, to come forward. “For victims and survivors, it is very difficult for them to come forward, so we want to reduce some of the barriers for them to come forward,” Truong said. Jennifer Dunn, executive director of the London Abused Women’s Centre, said publicly identifying the accused may encourage other survivors to seek support and speak with investigators. “To hold a press conference and share a picture and share a name really does show women and girls that they’re not alone because there is support available for them, whether that’s through policing or through an organization like ours,” Dunn said. Investigators are also asking anyone who was in the areas of Adelaide and Pall Mall streets, or Oxford Street East and Mornington Avenue, between 11:30 a.m. and noon on June 4 to contact police. Officers are seeking dashcam footage and residential or business surveillance video that may assist the investigation. The charges have not been proven in court.
