After attack in Clyde River, Nunavut RCMP urge women to stay safe

The Nunavut RCMP issued a list of suggestions to women on how to be “vigilant and keep safe” after an Aug. 5 incident in Clyde River. (FILE PHOTO)

Women need to be “vigilant and keep safe.”

That’s the advice from the Nunavut RCMP after a woman was sexually assaulted in an incident alleged to have occurred Aug. 5 in Clyde River.

“We know women aren’t to blame for tragic assaults, but we nevertheless want to make sure we’re doing everything in our power to stay safe,” Inspector Dean Warr said in an Aug. 8 news release.

Warr’s statement came after RCMP members in Clyde River arrested Mark Paneak, 21, of Clyde River Aug. 5 and charged him with sexual assault, break-and-enter and resisting arrest.

Paneak, who the RCMP said is “well known to police,” will appear at the Nunavut Court of Justice in Iqaluit Aug. 15.

Police said they arrested the man after receiving a complaint about a sexual assault.

“When RCMP arrived on scene, the assailant attempted to flee. A chase ensued with RCMP apprehending the assailant for short while later,” police said.

The RCMP did not give more details about the Aug. 5 incident.

But, in the release, the RCMP suggested that to protect yourself from potential sexual assault, you should:

• keep your eyes and ears open and your hands free;

• be alert to who and what is around you;

• remember that talking on a cell phone or listening to headphones makes you an easy target for criminals; and,

• limit the amount of stuff you carry in your hands by using a backpack, or bag with a shoulder strap: “This will ensure that your hands are free to defend yourself at all times.”