I'm glad that he got caught, but also wonder what could have been done to prevent this from happening in the first place. Under what circumstances was he able to assault the girls without anybody noticing immediately? What new rules are going to be enacted to ensure this can't happen again?
I get that we should protect the innocent, but it needs to be balanced in favour of other victims when it comes to with such serious crimes.
We issue names of adult accused rapists before they've seen their day in court, and we do so because other victims often do come forward.
Just earlier this year, a restaurant owner in Whitby was accused of sexual assault. "Investigators want to ensure there are no further victims", so they released his name and something like 10 other victims came forward. That's just how it is with sexual assault. It's never just the one victim.
For instance, it's hard enough for victims to come forward after a sexual assault if they feel isolated or "the only one" who experienced it. As a kid, it's extremely difficult.
However, if a victim hears that their attacker has done this to other people who have come forward, it might give them the courage to also come forward. We hear this all the time when serial rapists are called out by sometimes dozens of victims after their name is published.
If the attacker is unknown, they might simply get away with those unreported assaults.
This perp might have molested neighbourhood kids, and you'd never know to ask your child if anything inappropriate happened if they remain anonymous.
Withholding the name of an attacker only serves to protect the attacker, not the victims.