Man faces charge relating to 2 separate alleged historical sexual assaults

A 52-year-old man from Antigonish, N.S., has been charged with one count of sexual assault relating to two separate alleged historical sexual assaults in Guysborough County between 2009 and 2015.

Stephen Lawrence Kirk has been released from custody on conditions that he have no contact with his accusers, whom police sayhe knows.

He is scheduled to appear in Antigonishprovincial court on August 12.

RCMP say the charge stems fromincidents that allegedly involve a female who was in her late teens at the time, and a woman who was in her early 20s.

Police believe there may be more victims and are encouraging them to come forward.

Cpl. Jennifer Clarke, an RCMP spokeswoman, said if people do come forward it doesn't automatically mean a charge will be laid if the grounds to charge exist. She said police are also able to offer support and advice on how to proceed.

"I can't stress enough how important it is for the victims, even if they just even want a little bit of information, if they're not ready to disclose we're more than happy to help them," Clarke said.

When asked why police believethere could be more possible victims,Clarke wouldn't elaborate other than to say RCMP have reason to believe that's the case.