Woman and child harassed at Burlington mall, Hamilton man arrested

Published February 1, 2023 at 5:23 pm

A Hamilton man faces several charges after reports that a woman and her child were followed into a washroom at a Burlington mall.

Halton Regional Police say that on Jan. 17, a man was spotted hovering around women with young children in the food court and bathroom areas of Burlington Centre, on Guelph St.

Eventually, according to police, the same man followed a woman pushing a child in a stroller into the washroom. The man asked if he could enter with them, but the woman refused and then locked herself inside one of the stalls.

The man then fled the scene, police say.

Investigators subsequently determined the same man was approaching other women and children at the mall on Jan. 16 and Jan. 20.

Witnesses say the man had been parking in the mall lot near spots designated for expectant mothers and was loitering in the area.

Further investigation led police to an address in Dundas, where an arrest was made.

Police have arrested Conner Coyne,
of Hamilton

Charged with criminal harassment and three counts of failing to comply with a release order is 19-year-old Conner Coyne. A release order is sometimes granted while a person is awaiting the outcome of a court case.

Coyne is now in custody pending a bail hearing.

The investigation is ongoing and police are appealing to others who may have been victimized.

They describe the suspect in these cases as wearing a camouflage print jacket, black sweat pants and camouflage croc-style shoes. The person was driving a yellow Ford Ranger vehicle.

Anyone with information regarding this investigation can contact Det.-Cst. Kate Bechard, of the 3 District Criminal Investigations Bureau, at 905-825-4777, ext. 2372.

 

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