Oshawa man charged in suspected hate-motivated incident against woman

A Toronto Police Service shoulder badge is seen in this undated photo. THE CANADIAN PRESS/Cole Burston

By John Marchesan

Posted December 8, 2023 4:15 pm.

A 54-year-old Oshawa man is facing charges after threatening a woman in what police say is a suspected hate-motivated incident.

Investigators say a man approached a woman wearing a hijab in the area of Danforth Avenue and Victoria Park Avenue at around 6:15 a.m. on Dec. 1 and made derogatory remarks about her religion.

The man then allegedly uttered a death threat before fleeing the scene.

The woman was not physically injured in the incident.

Several days later members of the hate crime unit have arrested George Murray and charged him with uttering death threats. He’s scheduled to appear in court on Jan. 15, 2024.

“This investigation is being treated as a suspected hate-motivated offence,” police said in a statement on Friday.

Police say if a person is charged and convicted of an offence which has been motivated by bias, prejudice or hate, the judge in the case will take into consideration hate as an aggravating factor when imposing a sentence.

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