A former church youth counsellor has been charged with sexually assaulting a 13-year-old girl.
The accused, 52-year-old Brian Rate of Clarington, first met the girl two years ago while at the Whitby Free Methodist Church. They kept in touch through Facebook and made plans to meet for lunch on Friday.
After the meal, the teen said Rate took her to his Oshawa office and sexually assaulted her. Her family contacted police when she told them of incident later in the day.
Rate faces charges of sexual assault, sexual interference and indecent exposure to a child. He was being held pending a bail hearing.
Police are still investigating and asking any other potential victims to contact them.
Anyone with information is asked to call
1-888-579-1520, ext 5316 or
5337. Anonymous tips can be made to Crime Stoppers at
1-800-222-8477 (TIPS) or
www.durhamregionalcrimestoppers.ca. Tipsters are eligible for a cash reward of up to $2,000.