A man who pleaded guilty to several “vile” offences that included assaulting a teenager and smearing fecal matter over her face and mouth has been handed a sentence of 695 days, or almost two years, by a judge in Vancouver. However, after time served in pre-trial custody, he will face just 227 more days behind bars.

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Fitsum Wode Zewdu, 33, pleaded guilty to sexual assault, assault, and committing an indecent act. In sentencing, Judge Reginald Harris of B.C. Provincial Court said he took into account the guilty plea and “the love and support of his parents,” including a letter from his father in his support.

However, Judge Harris also noted that “the vile nature of the unprovoked assault committed against a young woman who was a stranger to Mr. Zewdu warrants a sentence that strongly denounces and deters.”

Court documents released this week outline the troubling nature of the offences. In one, which took place on June 27, 2025, a 17-year-old was walking in a residential area near a SkyTrain station when Zewdu approached her from behind and grabbed her.

“He then smeared fecal matter over her face and mouth while pushing and jamming feces into her face and mouth,” court records state. “Mr. Zewdu was laughing as he held out his phone causing the victim to believe that Mr. Zewdu was recording the assault. A subsequent search of his phone showed that this was not the case.”

The assault only stopped when the victim screamed and ran to a nearby residence where she called the police. The police found Zewdu approaching a second woman with a stroller and asking her to smell his feces-covered hands.

In another instance on Oct. 13, 2024, Zewdu exited a SkyTrain station just after midnight and approached a woman who was waiting for a bus and slapped her buttocks before leaving the area.

Then on July 11, 2025, Zewdu was asked to leave an exotic strip lounge. Outside, he went to the rear parking lot and spotted a woman walking by. He approached her and threatened to kill her and to beat the “shit” out of her. Throughout, he had his penis exposed. The woman called the police, who arrested him after a brief chase.

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Judge Harris noted that no victim impact statements were received by the court. “This said, common sense dictates that Mr. Zewdu’s conduct likely caused terror, created a fear of disease, hypervigilance, and concern about being out alone. No doubt, his actions robbed the victims of feeling secure and to some measure limited their movement in the community.”

Court records say that Zewdu was born in Ethiopia and moved with his father to Canada when he was three. A few years later, his mother and sister joined them. “Thereafter, the family moved frequently, ultimately settling in Burnaby,” the document states. “In 2012, Mr. Zewdu lost his sister to suicide.”

The judge noted that Zewdu has a criminal record that stretches back to 2019.

“A review of the record discloses two convictions for failing to comply with court orders and a termination of a conditional sentence order,” the judge wrote. “There is one conviction for sexual assault, two convictions for committing an indecent act, and two mischief convictions.”

Convictions include being found naked and masturbating while sitting at a library computer; spitting in a woman’s face; and dropping a cigarette down a woman’s top while whispering about her licking his feet. Zewdu was out of jail on a conditional sentence order when he committed the most recent sexual assault.

In sentencing, the judge noted several aggravating factors, including earlier convictions for similar offences; being bound by court orders at the time of his offences; and “the humiliating and disgusting act of putting feces in his victim’s face.” The judge also wrote: “Zewdu targets women and does so when few people are around.”

A court psychologist wrote that “Mr. Zewdu’s risk of sexual offending in the community is high,” adding: “The most likely victims are women. Risk scenarios including unwanted touching (e.g. slapping buttocks, grabbing, smearing feces), exposing his genitals in public, masturbating in public, verbal threats, and boundary violations.”

Zewdu has spent 311 days in pre-trial custody and, at 1.5 to 1, he has a “credit” of 467 days. The judge sentenced him to 60 days for the buttocks-slapping incident, 180 days for the incident outside the strip lounge, and 15 months (455 days) for the assault with feces.

He has a balance of 227 days to serve in prison, plus a lengthy probation order in effect for three years after his release. The judge waived the victim fine surcharge, noting that Zewdu has been unemployed for years.

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