Man charged in connection to random sexual assault in Winnipeg

A man has been charged in relation to a sexual assault that occurred near Picardy Place in July, according to Winnipeg police.

The 20-year-old man was identified through forensic analysis, the Winnipeg Police Service said in a news release.

After he was identified, an arrest warrant was issued.

He was already in custody on an unrelated matter at the Headingley Correctional Institution, and was re-arrested Tuesday, police said.

He has been charged with sexual assault and uttering threats to cause death or bodily harm.

Those charges are in connection with the July 19 sexual assault of a woman who was walking on Toronto Street, near Picardy Place.

It’s alleged she was grabbed by a stranger who threatened her, and pulled her into a nearby alcove, Winnipeg police said in an earlier news release.

The man reportedly choked, sexually assaulted and robbed the woman.