May 20, 2012

Sex Assault Doc Has Ties to Military

We reported on the case of two doctors charged with the sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman in a Toronto hotel a few days ago. Since then, more details have emerged as to the perpetrators.

One of the doctors, 32-year-old Amitabh Chauhan, has been “closely associated” with the Canadian Forces since 1997. He became a cadet that year and wound up having a fairly comprehensive career in the military.

Chauhan enrolled in the Royal Military College in Kingston the following year and was an officer cadet. Following that, he received his undergraduate degree from the college in 2002 with an honours BA in politics and economics. The Department of Defence filled in the gaps, noting that Chauhan “began his training to become a pilot in January 2004. He ceased training in July 2005 and undertook a variety of duties.”

He also did pilot training at CFB Moose Jaw.

When Chauhan was arrested, Toronto police said he held a Saskatchewan driver’s licence. On top of that, he’s been a naval reservist and joined in that service three years.

In terms of his medical credentials, Chauhan is a post-grad student in the plastic surgery department at McMaster University in Hamilton.

Kayilasanathan, meanwhile, has only been working in Toronto for a few months. In December of 2010, he started a family practice in Toronto’s east end and got the job on the recommendation of his father, a lawyer. He also holds a medical licence in New Brunswick.

As we reported originally, police believe that the two doctors have more victims. They’ve been appealing across Facebook and other social networking sites for tips as to the other crimes that may be involved in the ghastly repertoire of these two men.

Toronto Cops Snag Escaped Killer

Toronto police finally caught up with an escaped killer after a weekend long manhunt.

Ashley Ronald Brent Crawford was nabbed by police after he failed to return to prison after an unescorted trip to Peterborough. The trip was approved by the parole board and the convict had been on the lam since Friday.

Crawford was given a three day pass on Wednesday of last week and checked in at a Peterborough halfway house where he was last seen on Friday morning. He failed to return to a minimum security prison that night and police issued a warrant across the country for his arrest. By Monday night, cops had grabbed him without incident. The catch was made at 8:30 pm.

Interestingly, police were responding to an unrelated incident at a house and happened to recognize Crawford.

Crawford was taken back to prison to continue serving the life sentence he earned in 2001. He was convicted and sentenced for first degree murder after he set fire to a home in Killaloe, Ontario. Crawford was just 16 at the time and was “seduced” into setting the fire by the former lesbian lover of the victim. Talk about your winding stories.

Crawford, now 30, was actually eligible for parole and this incident doesn’t bode well on that score.

The original tale is as weird as they come, with a young Crawford being seduced into setting the home on fire by his girlfriend. She’s 27 years his senior and is currently serving a life sentence for killing her husband  in 1995 by spiking his wine with anti-freeze.

There are a number of questions to ask, of course, but perhaps the most pressing is how a convicted killer serving a life sentence was allowed an unescorted pass in the first place. Something’s off there.

Two Doctors Charged with Toronto Sex Assault

Two doctors have been arrested and charged with the gang sexual assault of a 23-year-old woman. The assault took place at a hotel in downtown Toronto and police believe that the two doctors may have more victims.

Amitabh Chauhan, 32, of Ancaster and Suganthan Kayilasanathan, 32, of Markham were arrested on Friday.

They made appearances in court on Saturday morning and were held without bail. The court ordered a publication ban, so details are limited at this point.

According to Toronto police, the victim knew one of the doctors and met the pair in the bar of a hotel in downtown Toronto. The meeting took place on Sunday, February 13, and the victim attended the meeting with the intention of receiving some career advice. She hadn’t expected to meet with two men and eventually the trio moved off to a different bar. The victim was given an unknown substance that made her “lapse in and out of consciousness,” say police.

“She was taken back to the original hotel and she was taken up to a room where she was allegedly sexually assaulted by the two men,” said Const. Tony Vella, spokesman for Toronto police.

Chauhan and Kayilasanathan are both active medical doctors in Ontario, with Chauhan listed as a plastic surgery department member at McMaster University in Hamilton and Kayilasanathan operating a family practice just north of Toronto.

The two doctors have been formally charged with administering a noxious substance and gang sexual assault. According to police investigators, there may be other victims associated with the two men.

“We’re urging anyone who has any information regarding the two men to contact the investigators at the sex crimes unit at 416-808-7474,” said Const. Vellan.

17-Year-Old Charged with Attempted Murder

A 17-year-old male has been charged with attempted murder after a 66-year-old male was stabbed repeatedly in the head. The incident took place in east-end Toronto and the victim finds himself in critical condition in hospital. He was admitted on Wednesday.

The victim was stabbed multiple times in the head and arms and was hit with an iron bar in what looks to be a robbery attempt.

The incident took place on Tuesday night at around 7 pm in the Victoria Village neighbourhood.

The police say that the victim parked his car at a parking lot on Eccleston Drive and then tried to enter a nearby apartment building. That’s when he was attacked by the 17-year-old male and hit in the head. The victim allegedly fell to the ground but managed to escape, collapsing in the building hallway. Upon collapsing in the hallway, the victim was stabbed by the suspect repeatedly in the arms, face and head.

The suspect took the victim’s car keys and drove off in the vehicle, striking a number of parked vehicles and two trees before coming to a halt north side of Eccleston Drive. He fled on foot but was captured by police shortly after.

The charges include attempted murder, aggravated assault, robbery, possession of property obtained by crime over $5,000, dangerous operation of a vehicle, and failure to comply with recognizance.

The teen suspect cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act and appeared in court on Wednesday morning.

The crime is especially stunning because of the age of the victim in proportion to the age of the suspect. While these crimes aren’t particularly rare, they remain a shocking reminder of the desperation of criminals and the inability to rationalize. We don’t know the motivations behind the robbery, of course, but the brazen, aggressive nature of the crime makes this case very interesting indeed.