A series of violent incidents targeting an East York church has led to charges against a 56-year-old man in Toronto.
In a span of just over a week, the church located near Cosburn Avenue and Pape Avenue was the scene of three separate acts of vandalism. The first incident occurred on July 24 when a rock was thrown through one of the church’s windows, prompting a police response.
A week later, authorities were called back to the same church for a similar incident. The situation escalated on August 1 when police witnessed a man, later identified as Khaliq Hussain Anwar, throwing a rock through the church’s window.
Anwar, a 56-year-old resident of Toronto, now faces three charges of mischief related to religious property. In cases where criminal offenses are motivated by bias, prejudice, or hate, the judge may consider hate as an aggravating factor during sentencing.