Alleged pedophile to face charges 40 years later despite fleeing country
By Castlegar Source
The Prince George RCMP have assisted in the successful deportation of a former Prince George resident wanted on sexual assault and assault related offences dating back to 1974.
In September 1974, Raymond Douglas MacLeod, then 32 years old, was arrested in connection with an assault and sexual assault of a female who, at the time, was under the age of 10. The offences were alleged to have taken place at a residence on Upland Street in Prince George, BC.
MacLeod was originally found not guilty, but Crown Counsel won an appeal, and a new trial was ordered. He was arrested in Burlington, Ont. in June of 1979 on unrelated charges. At that time, MacLeod was served with court documents ordering him to appear in court, but he failed to do so. A Canada-wide arrest warrant was issued in 1980, but he was never located.
Prince George RCMP contacted Interpol to acquire their assistance in locating MacLeod. It was later determined MacLeod was alive and residing in the State of California. Serious Crime investigators from the Prince George RCMP, in partnership with US authorities, were able to confirm a man arrested in California was in fact the same Raymond Douglas MacLeod wanted by Prince George RCMP. Efforts to locate MacLeod have spanned decades, involved various investigational techniques and various agencies in both Canada and the US. Those efforts have resulted in a recent deportation order by US authorities.
On March 24, 2015, MacLeod arrived back in Canada. He is expected to arrive in Prince George on March 26 and make his first appearance in Prince George Provincial Court on March 27.
Raymond Douglas MacLeod, now 72 years old, is facing the following Criminal Code charges dating back to 1974:
• Rape
• Indecent Assault on a Female
• Assault Causing Bodily Harm.
All of these charges were offences in the Criminal Code of Canada in September 1974. An additional charge of Obstruction of Justice has been approved by Crown Counsel.
This investigation is a result of the exhaustive efforts taken by many police officers over the last 40 years in order to bring the person believed to be responsible to the courts and to hopefully bring some closure to the victim and her family.
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