Edmonton police have charged a man with the sexual assault of a young child, and they believe there are other families who haven't come forward.
Simon Nicholas, 50, who also goes by Ambrose Nicholas, was charged on Wednesday, July 29 with sexual assault, sexual interference, and two counts of breaching a court order. Officers also executed warrants from Athabasca RCMP for the sexual assault of a second young child.
None of the charges have been tested in court.
The two names matter
He is known by both Simon Nicholas and Ambrose Nicholas. Anyone checking whether he has been around their family should look for both.
How police say he got access
In both investigations, according to EPS, Nicholas presented himself to a parent as someone who could be trusted to care for young children.
That similarity across two separate cases in two jurisdictions is why police are asking the public for help. Investigators believe there may be additional victims or witnesses.
What police are describing
The detail EPS chose to release is the one that repeats. Not where he lived or what he drove, but how he got in the door.
Someone presenting themselves to a parent as trustworthy with children isn't unusual on its own. It describes every babysitter, coach and family friend who has ever been asked to watch a kid. What makes it worth publishing is that police say it happened the same way twice, in two communities roughly 145 kilometres apart, while a court order was in place saying he couldn't be near children at all.
Which is why the appeal is aimed at parents rather than at witnesses. The people best placed to recognize the pattern are the ones who trusted him and never had reason to think about it again.
If he cared for a child in your family, police want to hear from you whether or not anything seemed wrong at the time. That's a lower bar than most people assume, and investigators would rather field calls that go nowhere.
He was already under a court order
At the time of the Edmonton reports, police say Nicholas was subject to court-ordered conditions prohibiting contact with children under 16 and restricting his access to places children frequent.
Two of the four charges he now faces are for breaching that order.
If your family had contact with him
Edmonton Police Service: 780-423-4567, or #377 from a mobile phone.
Anonymous tips go to Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-8477 or online at p3tips.com/250.
Athabasca RCMP can be reached at 780-675-4252.
Children who were in his care may not have understood what happened, and may not have said anything since. The Zebra Child and Youth Advocacy Centre supports children and youth through disclosure, investigation and court, and can be reached at 780-421-2385.
Alberta's Child Abuse Helpline is 1-855-443-5722. The Child Intervention Provincial Intake Line runs 24 hours at 1-800-638-0715.
Reporting suspected child abuse is a legal obligation in Alberta.
Support
Support for anyone affected by sexual violence is available through local sexual assault services and through EPS victim support at edmontonpolice.ca/victimsupport.
Alberta's One Line for Sexual Violence is available by call or text at 1-866-403-8000, 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. daily.
Sources:
Edmonton Police Service, news release, August 6, 2026
Government of Alberta, Report child abuse: https://www.alberta.ca/report-child-abuse
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