Support worker facing 6 new sex assault charges
Posted July 21, 2015 8:30 am.
Last Updated July 21, 2015 7:28 pm.
This article is more than 5 years old.
A personal support worker accused of sexually assaulting a 95-year-old man in his own home is facing six new charges.
The new allegations involve the same victim and are based on evidence from the victim’s family, Toronto police said on Tuesday.
“As a result of an investigation that we conducted, we’re laying charges in relation to three events,” Det. Sgt. Jim Gotell told CityNews.
“I’m not at liberty to discuss the evidence we’ve collected.”
Danilo Alcala, 61, was arrested on Thursday and initially charged with one count of sexual assault. On Tuesday, he was further charged with three counts of sexual assault and three counts of sexual exploitation of a person with a disability.
The man he’s accused of assaulting lives near Broadview and Mortimer avenues and police believe there may be more victims.
“I’ve had contact from some members of the public in relation to this and we are investigating information that we’ve received from them,” said Gotell.
Alcala works for Spectrum Health Care, which issued the following statement:
“We are cooperating fully with the Toronto police … and other regulatory authorities and have launched an internal investigation into the circumstances surrounding the allegation.”
Alcala was denied bail during a court hearing on Tuesday. He will next appear in court on July 27.
At least one neighbour of the accused said he had suspicions about Alcala.
“I wasn’t shocked,” said Dominic Girmenia, who lives in the Brimley Road and Lawrence Avenue East area of Scarborough. “I had a gut feeling many years ago that things weren’t right.”
Gotell says the allegations have sent shock-waves throughout the legal community.
“Most of the people that I work with are shocked by the charges,” he admitted. “I’ve been speaking with the Crown Attorney…and they are just as shocked as we are with these charges.”
