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SOMBA K'E/YELLOWKNIFE
A man accused of a 2008 sexual assault on a woman on the Frame Lake Trail has pleaded guilty to the crime.

Anthony William Griep, who had previously asked to be tried by a Supreme Court judge and jury, changed his plea to guilty Wednesday and asked to be sentenced in territorial court.

Griep, now 25, sexually assaulted a 19-year-old female after grabbing her from behind and dragging her into the bushes on the Frame Lake Trail as she was walking home on June 5, 2008, according to the RCMP. Griep was arrested on May 30, 2011, after giving a DNA sample for an unrelated conviction outside the Yellowknife RCMP's jurisdiction. Tests performed in April revealed his DNA positively matched DNA evidence from the 2008 attack on the Frame Lake Trail.

Defence attorney Nikolaus Homberg, who appeared on behalf of Griep's lawyer, said the defence would be requesting a pre-sentence report. That report is intended to give the judge a better sense of the offender's background and character.

Griep is due back in court March 6 at 9:30 a.m. In the meantime, Judge Bernadette Schmaltz agreed to vary one of the conditions keeping him out of jail while he awaits his sentence. Griep is now required to report to the RCMP in person Monday and Friday and by phone on Wednesday, rather than reporting every day.

He was recently ordered to pay a $300 fine after missing a court date in November.

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