A 36-year-old man from Saint-Constant was pinned for a violent sexual assault committed on a woman three weeks ago, in a wooded area along Notre-Dame Street in Montreal.

David Catudal was arrested at his home last Friday. He then appeared on charges of sexual assault causing bodily harm, forcible confinement and assault by choking, suffocating and strangling a victim.

He remained detained pending trial.

The facts of which he is accused occurred on the night of May 4 to 5, along Notre-Dame Street, in the borough of Mercier-Hochelaga-Maisonneuve.

A 33-year-old woman who was walking alone in this place was grabbed by Catudal, who then dragged her by force into a wooded area to satisfy her base instincts.

During the scuffle, the suspect allegedly strangled the victim by necking her and then ripped her pants.

Determined as ever, the woman would have struggled with all her strength and would have managed to flee her attacker.

In a state of shock, she would have left the woods before rushing aboard a bus.

Shortly after, patrol officers were called in to help her and ensure that she was taken to hospital.

“The investigation by the Sexual Assault Section made it possible to reconstruct the route taken by the victim and to identify the suspect thanks to various investigative techniques,” the SPVM said in a press release.

Known to police circles, David Catudal was able to be arrested two weeks after the events.