Complainant describes encounter with man charged with harassing women in Mayfair neighbourhood
The woman says the encounters escalated quickly.
Jithin Jose, 26, is charged with disturbing the peace, criminal harassment and uttering threats to cause bodily harm after what police called a "hate crimes investigation."
One of the alleged victims spoke with CBC about her experience. CBC is not naming her because she fears for her safety.
She says Jose would approach older, vulnerable women. She says that in her first encounter, in the Mayfair neighbourhood, he blocked her path on the sidewalk.
"Can I ask you a question?" he inquired.
"No," she replied.
She says he stepped aside and let her pass.
By the third time their paths crossed, he didn't waited for a response to his initial inquiry, she says.
"I attempted to walk around him and he immediately went into, 'I'm an immigrant,' and, 'why are all you women here..…'"
She says he became more and more intimidating and aggressive, despite no response.
"Included in the diatribe were the words racist, hateful, nasty, bitches."
The woman says she contacted police but, when officers arrived, the man had taken off. She began canvassing the neighbourhood and found a half dozen others with similar experiences.
"He was wandering the area, close to his home, searching for people to victimize based solely on his hatred of a particular gender, 'race,' and specifically looking for women who were unlikely to be capable of fighting back and had no one with them to help with protection," she said.
Police confirm that four women are named complainants, and another were two interviewed for information.
Officers arrested Jose on July 5. He is scheduled to return to court July 30.
