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THURSDAY, AUGUST 22, 2013
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Suspect charged in teen’s assault
Gayvin McMullen, a resident at Wesley Street Supportive Housing, does a morning check on the health of tomatoes he is growing in his home’s community gardens.
BY CHRIS BUSH
CHRIS BUSH/THE NEWS BULLETIN
THE NEWS BULLETIN
One man is facing charges after he allegedly hit and sexually assaulted a 15-year-old girl in Nanaimo early Sunday. The incident happened on Calder Road shortly before 4:48 a.m. when an RCMP officer, already responding to a complaint in the Kathryn Place area about a suspicious male, was flagged down by a woman in a vehicle. She said her daughter had just been sexually assaulted and she was taking her to Nanaimo Regional Hospital to be treated for minor injuries. Other members continued to the Kathryn Place area where they found a man, naked from the waist down, who had broken into a house. “He was running around and was found in another lady’s house,” said Sgt. Sheryl Armstrong, Nanaimo RCMP spokeswoman. Police are not revealing the exact locations the incidents took place to protect the identities of witnesses and the victim. The suspect was arrested for breaching court-ordered conditions, which included not consuming alcohol. Police are also not revealing the exact nature of the sexual assault. The victim told police she was walking on Calder Road shortly before the attack occurred. She had sat down on the curb when she experienced a headache and nosebleed. The suspect approached her, struck her on the head and sexually assaulted her. She last saw him walking away. Armstrong described it as a random attack by a stranger. As the victim started walking home from the scene, her uncle and mother stopped to pick her up. Another person also stopped them to ask if they were associated with the male who was running around without pants. Mounties would like to speak with that witness and any other potential witnesses to the assault. Adam Synnuck, 22, of Nanaimo, appeared in Nanaimo provincial court Monday to face charges of sexual assault and breaking and entering. The police investigation is continuing. Anyone with information about this incident is asked to call Nanaimo RCMP at 250-7542345 or contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-2228477 or online at www.nanaimocrimestoppers. com. photos@nanaimobulletin.com
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VOL. 25, NO. 42
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More than food grows for residents in community gardens at Wesley Street housing BY TAMARA CUNNINGHAM THE NEWS BULLETIN
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ayvin McMullen crouches beside the tangled tomato vines sprouting from his garden at the Wesley Street supportive housing complex. The stems are so heavy with tomatoes, the yield will last him all year long, he says with a grin. “The trick is to dry them out real bad so they are just hurtin’ and then you give them water and they go like crazy,” he said. “It is tough love all the way, baby.” McMullen has been part of an effort to transform empty concrete tiers at the Wesley street complex into new communal gardens, giving residents a chance to flex their green thumbs. The project was pitched to tenants in the spring as an opportunity for them to grow their own food and be a part of something positive. Now, gardens overflow with zucchini, tomatoes and squash. Gardeners are learning to can and cook, and bowls are heaped with produce weekly to share among other residents. ◆ See ‘GARDEN’ /6
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