Police seek help from Native women

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Calgary Police Detective Len Dafoe is asking for the public's help as he attempts to follow up on several CrimeStoppers tips that may lead to an arrest in the case of a Calgary man who posted lewd photographs of Native women on the Internet.

As reported in our December 2002 issue, a red-haired man named "Don" posted photos of several Native women having sex with him on his "The Girls of Calgary" Web site.

Originally, the police there said posting such photographs on the Internet was not a criminal offense, that there was nothing they could do. But since Windspeaker's story, several anonymous tips received by police have led Dafoe to believe the man may have committed a criminal act.

"Overcoming resistance through the use of an incapacitating agent like drugs or alcohol is a criminal offense," he said. "The law clearly says there has to be consent."

If there was no consent, the photos and any statements the victims could provide would be solid evidence in support of a sexual assault charge, he added.

"We're trying to identify any of the women in the photographs to come forward and make a complaint," he said. "Until we talk to one of them, we don't know if we have an offense yet. Anybody who felt that they were in this Web site or saw themselves in this Web site, call me."

Experts on criminal behavior told Windspeaker in December that serial killers prey on marginalized people in society. The concern was that this person might discover that there was no police interest in his activities and become bolder and commit more serious acts. Dafoe said that he and his colleagues have taken note of that concern and are prepared to look into the matter.

Knowing that Native women who frequent sleazy bars in the city's downtown core were the target of this man, and that those women usually do not feel comfortable talking to police, Dafoe promised personal attention to anyone who came forward.

"I will walk them over to the sex crimes unit myself," he said. "They want to talk to people who feel they were taken advantage of."

Dafoe can be reached at (403) 206-8640.