A woman wears spiked stilettos as she practises a pole dancing move during an International Women's Day event
A woman wears spiked stilettos as she practises a pole dancing move during an International Women's Day event at a women's-only pole dancing fitness studio called Studio Exclusive, in Sydney March 8, 2014. The event raised money for "White Ribbon" Australia, a campaign to stop violence against women. On March 8, activists around the globe celebrate International Women's Day, which dates back to the beginning of the 20th Century and has been observed by the United Nations since 1975. The U.N. writes that it is an occasion to commemorate achievements in women's rights and to call for further change. REUTERS/Jason Reed

The suspect of a bizarre case of sexual assault in Canada was arrested. York Regional Police said that the man was charged for licking women's feet.

The 28-year-old Mattieu Petrin was charged with three counts of theft under $5,000, four counts of sexual assault, robbery and one count each of sexual interference with a person under age 16. Security camera images were released last week that captured the suspect who had allegedly licked a number of women's feet and stole their shoes. The Innisfil man apparently turned himself in to police on Wednesday, Nov. 26.

York Regional Police were earlier looking for a man who went to a tanning salon in the Canyon Hill Avenue and Yonge Street area and started asking a woman about her boots. The man eventually grabbed the female customer's leg and tore off her boot and sock. The accused then forcibly started licking the woman's bare foot. The suspect ran away with the sock and the boot of the woman after that. The victim was not hurt during the incident. The case was treated as an instance of sexual assault. York Regional Police Special Victims Unit-Sexual Assault asked people to identify the suspect and help catch him.

According to reports, the suspect did a similar thing on the previous day on Nov. 19. He allegedly went to another tanning salon near the 16th Avenue and Yonge Street area. He asked a different woman in the salon for her shoe. According to police, the man told the woman that he was shopping for a new pair of shoes for his relative. When the woman gave her shoe to the man, he smelled it and ran away with it. Several other reports helped police suspect that the man was responsible for numerous other incidents of similar nature.

The suspect was believed to be around five feet eight inches tall. The medium-built guy, who was about 30, was believed to be around 170 pounds. He had short reddish brown hair as well as a beard, which is neatly cropped. Security camera footage showed a similar looking man who would later turn out to be Petrin. The 28-year-old is expected to appear in a Newmarket court on Thursday for a bail hearing.

Contact the writer: s.mukhopadhyay@ibtimes.com.au

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