Students of the Medical University praise a woman who defended herself against an attacker who broke into her dorm room

WARNING: This article may apply to people who have experienced sexual violence or know someone who has.

University of Manitoba students are praising a woman’s courage after she fought off an attacker in her dorm room and alerted others to leave the building.

Winnipeg police said an intruder broke into a woman’s apartment at the Arthur V. Mauro High School Residential Building while she was sleeping early Friday morning and physically attacked her.

The woman described the attack on social media, saying an intruder entered her dorm room and beat her in an attempt to sexually assault her, but she managed to fend him off, run out of the room and set off the fire alarm.

CBC News is not identifying her because she was a crime victim.

On Sunday, students on campus praised the woman for her courage.

“I just hope the victim is OK,” said University of Manitoba student Samantha Westlands. “And I think it was really amazing and powerful of her to come forward.”

Kangyi Nie, who read the woman’s post on social media, echoed Westland’s thoughts.

“I think she’s very brave and very smart to pull the fire alarm,” she said.

However, the student added that she regretted that anyone had to go through this, saying that the attack left her feeling “pretty sick” and made her more concerned about her safety on campus.

“It’s a bit dangerous for us and it’s better to increase security on campus,” Nie said.

Meanwhile, Theo Lupinek said he and his friends left the building after the fire alarm went off on Friday. It wasn’t until the school emailed students about the attack that he learned what had happened.

“I felt guilty because… at four in the morning I was complaining,” he said. “It was the right choice… in an active emergency situation when you need help, the most important thing is to get it.”

Increased security

The university said it would tighten security measures in response to the incident.

In an email Saturday, the school said there will be 24-hour security in the lobby of each residence hall, in addition to the regular night security schedule.

The email said there will be additional security staff at the residence’s lobby entrances who will routinely check all entrances and exits and check and correct the security of specific doors as needed.

Naomi Andrew, vice-president of administration, previously told CBC News that the school has security officers who patrol all campus buildings 24 hours a day, and that residences have their own security and the doors on each floor are locked.

However, Andrew added that there was no security guard on the floor at the time of the incident.

Westland said on-site security has started asking people for their room keys when they enter her building. She said the measures have made her and others feel more comfortable, but she still doesn’t feel completely safe.

“The secondary response has been strong and I think that’s good. But obviously there was negligence on the part of either security or the university… that this was even possible,” Westland said.

“It’s just terrible for the person and I hope they feel better.”

“Larger social issues”: prof

Police charged 46-year-old Garry Junior Edwards with a number of charges, including sexual assault, attempting to overcome resistance by choking, strangulation or suffocation, robbery and several counts of breaking and entering.

Edwards was previously convicted of two counts of aggravated sexual assault and several other offenses in connection with incidents involving two strangers that occurred on the same day in 2012.

Public notice released on May 17 warned that he had been released from prison after serving a sentence for being on probation and that he was still considered to be at high risk of re-offending.

The notice stated that Edwards was on statutory release conditions.

Michael Weinrath, a professor of criminal justice at the University of Winnipeg, said people who have been proven in court to be at high risk of re-offending and who have not participated in or shown interest in treatment could be placed on supervision for a period of time. several years after the expiration of the original sentence.

But he added that while there are a number of conditions that can be imposed on sex offenders, which can be very restrictive, it is difficult to justify that people should be locked up forever, even if such cases “fuel the fire” in society.

“The answer to these usual questions, unfortunately, is, ‘Well, we need more supervision… longer prison sentences,’” Weinrath said. “At the end of the day, these things are not 100 percent preventable.”

Weinrath said that at the provincial level, Headingley Correctional Center, Assiniboine Treatment Center and community organizations offer programs that help sex offenders reintegrate, and that the province is struggling to provide enough of them to interested inmates.

He said preventing recidivism requires both a proactive and reactive approach.

“I think it’s great to have more programs and treatment and better trained police and probation officers,” he said. “But yes, there are some bigger social questions. I think we need better answers.”

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Help is available for anyone who has experienced sexual violence through crisis lines and local support services through Canadian Ending Violence Association Database. If you are in immediate danger or concerned for your safety or the safety of others nearby, call 911.

Winnipeg police say anyone who has experienced sexual assault can access victim services at 204-986-6350 or through the Klinic Crisis Line at 204-786-8631.