Article content The next court appearance for a British Columbia man facing historic sexual assault charges has been moved to July after the defendant’s lawyer told Chatham court she is still receiving disclosure from the Crown. Jason Timothy Davidson, 53, of Campbell River, B.C., appeared in a Chatham court by video Monday. Recommended Videos Defence lawyer Julie Santarossa said the disclosure she has received “is in volumes and we are still getting it.” She said a pre-trial date was set for June 18, but requested it be moved to July 13.
Davidson is charged with four counts of forcible confinement, three counts each of sexual assault and uttering threats, and single counts of sexual assault causing bodily harm, aggravated sexual assault, kidnapping, and theft. Davidson remains in custody at South West Detention Centre in Windsor. He previously was denied bail.
The charges against Davidson stem from four incidents in 1997, according to previously published reports. He was arrested by police in his hometown Oct. 26, 2025.
During a previous video appearance Feb. 17, Santarossa told the court there was “a significant amount of material missing,” including complainant and witness statements and police notes. There is a publication ban on the identity of victims and any evidence heard during the pre-trial stage Ontario Provincial Police announced Oct.
29, 2025 Davidson had been arrested and charged as a result of a multi-jurisdictional probe into four sexual assaults, three involving teens in Sarnia, Chatham and surrounding counties. Investigators used advances in DNA technology to link the four cases to one person last year, police said. Then, they used genetic genealogy – taking genetic data from crime-scene samples and DNA databases to identify suspects through matches or partial matches with biological relatives – to identify a suspect, police said.
Police said the four 1997 incidents include: - March 26: A person abducted a teen near Exmouth Street and Indian Road in Sarnia about 9:30 p.m. and sexually assaulted her in nearby Sombra Township. - May 23: A person picked up a teen on Highway 21 in Thamesville about 11:55 a.m.
and sexually assaulted her in a wooded area. - June 7: A person picked up a woman on Campbell Street in Sarnia about 2 a.m. and sexually assaulted her in a secluded area nearby.
- 20: A person picked up a teen on Grand Avenue West in Chatham about 10:40 a.m. and sexually assaulted her in Dover Township, a community on Lake St. Clair.
With files from Ellwood Shreve
