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A man who was convicted and then acquitted in connection to the 1984 killing of Winnipeg teenager Candace Derksen was arrested in Vancouver this month on sexual assault and unlawful confinement charges. 

The British Columbia Prosecution Service confirmed Mark Edward Grant now faces multiple charges, including unlawful confinement, sexual assault with a weapon, assault with a weapon and uttering threats in relation to an alleged Jan. 8 incident in Vancouver.

On Jan. 17, 1985, the body of Candace Derksen, 13, was found bound in twine inside an industrial storage storage shed near her family’s Winnipeg home — weeks after she had gone missing the previous November. She had died of exposure. 

Grant was charged with first-degree murder in 2007, after his DNA was determined to be a match to DNA found on the twine on Derksen’s body.

A jury found him guilty of second-degree murder in 2011 and he was sentenced to 25 years in prison.

But that conviction was overturned in 2013 by the Manitoba Court of Appeal, which decided the trial judge made a mistake by not allowing the defence to present evidence that pointed to another possible killer. That appeal decision was upheld by the Supreme Court of Canada in 2015. 

In 2017, he was found not guilty of second-degree murder during a judge-alone retrial. 

Candace’s mother, Wilma Derksen, said she felt “huge pain” when she heard about the new charges against Grant in Vancouver on Tuesday. 

“It brought tears to my eyes again,” said Derksen, who marked the 41st anniversary of Candace’s death a few days ago.

She said her family understands the pain the Vancouver victim and their loved ones are experiencing right now. 

“Just feeling the love for the victim and the victim’s family, just knowing what they’re going to go through,” she said.

Grant remains in custody, the B.C. Prosecution Service said, and is scheduled to appear in a B.C. court on Jan. 28 for a possible bail hearing.

WATCH | Man acquitted in 1984 death of Winnipeg teen arrested in Vancouver:

Man acquitted in 1984 death of Winnipeg teen arrested in Vancouver

Mark Edward Grant has been charged with several new offences, including unlawful confinement and sexual assault with a weapon, Vancouver police say. Grant was initially convicted in the 1984 death of 13-year-old Candace Derksen in Winnipeg, but was later found not guilty at a retrial.