By Belize Live News Staff: Police in the Stann Creek District have arrested and charged a man with sexual assault, following a complaint from a woman in Santa Rosa Village.
According to authorities, the 61-year-old complainant reported that she was assaulted on Saturday, June 27, 2026, while walking through the village en route to a relative’s home ahead of a church service. She told police that a man she recognised approached and assaulted her, then attempted to take her purse and shoved her. She said she held on to her belongings and hurried to the safety of a family member’s house before reporting the matter and requesting court action.
After recording a statement from the complainant, police met the accused at the Independence Police Station on Wednesday, July 1, 2026. Officers informed him of the report, cautioned him, and made him aware of his constitutional rights.
Later that day, police obtained a warrant and formally charged 25-year-old Brian Anthony Shal, a naturalized Belizean of Santa Rosa Village, with the crime of sexual assault.
It is important to note that Shal, like anyone facing a charge, is entitled to the presumption of innocence unless and until proven guilty before the court.
