A man convicted for a 2016 sexual assault in Burlington has been found to be a Dangerous Offender.
On September 18th, 2016, at roughly 8:30 p.m., a woman was attacked by a stranger near the waterfront of Spencer Smith Park in Burlington. After the woman escaped, she contacted the police who located and arrested Vezio Cardullo of No Fixed Address near the park.
On February 12th, 2021, the 42-year-old Cardullo pled guilty to:
- Sexual Assault Cause Bodily Harm
- Overcome Resistance by Choking
- Uttering Threats
Following his conviction, a Dangerous Offender Application process began, and was finally concluded on Friday, January 26th, 2024, finding Cardullo to be a Dangerous Offender.
The designation of Dangerous Offender is reserved for Canada’s most violent criminals and sexual predators. It is sought by the Crown during sentencing and must show that there is a high risk that the criminal will commit violent or sexual offences in the future.
The Honourable Justice Conlan sentenced Cardullo to 17-years imprisonment followed by a 10-year supervision order.
The Halton Regional Police Service (HRPS) announced this decision on Wednesday with the hope that this outcome will bring some measure of healing to the victim in this matter.
Sexual assault is any touching of another person without their consent where the touching is of a sexual nature, or where the sexual integrity of the victim is violated. A sexual assault can range from unwanted touching to sexual assault involving penetration.
There is no statute of limitation when it comes to reporting a sexual assault. This means that no matter how long ago the sexual assault happened, you can still report it to police for investigation.
Victims of violence and/or sexual assault can contact the Halton Regional Police Service Victim Services Unit at 905-825-4777 for support.
Additional information can be found in the HRPS Sexual Assault Information Guide.
A valuable resource for information is also available here.
If you have a news tip or story idea, you can now send us a heads up via email at News1013@LocalRadio.ca. If you’d like to get ahold of me personally, shoot me a message at Cameron.Wilkinson@LocalRadio.ca. We’re in the business of content creation, so no idea is a bad idea.
