Warrant issued as man charged with sexual assault at Alberta hotel pool flees to Pakistan

A warrant has been issued for a Calgary man accused of inappropriately touching a woman and two young girls at a Lethbridge, Alta., hotel pool in 2016, as his lawyer says his client has returned to Pakistan.

Widjan Yasir, 30, was charged withtwo counts of sexual assault and one countof sexual interference with a minor.

Police had responded to a hotel in the 2300 block of Mayor Magrath Drive Southafter receiving a complaint that a man had inappropriately touched a woman and two young girls in the swimming pool.

Yasir was arrested at the hotel. The victims weren't known to the accused, police said at the time.

Yasir was set to stand trial on Feb. 6, but on Monday, Yasir's lawyer Wade Hlady told the court that he wasn't able to reach his client.

The trial was vacated and a warrant was issued for Yasir's arrest.

When Yasir was originally charged, he was also told he had to abide by certain conditions, like staying away from schools, pools or other places where children may be present.

Yasir wasn't previously considered a flight risk, as he had flown in from Pakistan for a court appearance in October 2017.

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