Deline home invasion
72-year-old woman assaulted

Cindy MacDougall
Northern News Services

Delin (Mar 06/00) - A Fort Good Hope man faces a break-and-enter charge after a 72-year-old woman was attacked in her bed Feb. 29.

The woman was babysitting her grandchildren for the night, said Deline RCMP Cpl. Warren Gherasim. At about 5:30 a.m., a man entered the house, woke the woman and attacked her.

"He shook her violently and then fled the residence," said Gherasim. "She had some bruises and soreness in her arms the next day, but she did not require hospitalization."

None of the children were hurt in the incident.

A Fort Good Hope man was arrested later that day in Deline and charged with break, enter and commit assault and breach of probation.

The man is in custody in Yellowknife and is to appear at a bail hearing Tuesday.

Break and enters involving an assault have recently been dubbed as "home invasions." Cases such as these are growing more prevalent in large cities.

Gherasim said these crimes are not common in Deline and other Northern communities, but people should be more careful before going to bed.

"Ensuring the door is locked helps," he said. "There's some question whether the door was locked.

"It's still illegal to enter a house through an opened door if you are not a resident of the home or are not given permission."