Man sentenced to six years in prison for violent rape in Saskatoon

By Lori Coolican, The StarPhoenixApril 15, 2010

A man who held a knife to the throat of an 18-year-old woman during a violent rape on the streets of Saskatoon's west side received the equivalent of six years in prison after striking a plea bargain Tuesday, on what was expected to be the first day of his trial.

Emmery Dale Bear, 28, was identified as a suspect in the Sept. 23, 2008, attack when DNA evidence recovered from the traumatized victim matched his profile in the national database of DNA samples from known offenders, Crown prosecutor Sheryl Fillo said.

A Canada-wide warrant was issued for his arrest, but Bear remained at large until May 2009. Under the terms of a joint sentencing submission from the Crown and defence, he received double credit for the 11 months he has spent on remand since then.

Bear pleaded guilty to sexual assault with a weapon and overcoming resistance to a sexual assault by choking. He also pleaded guilty to unrelated charges of failing to appear in court and carrying a concealed weapon, for which he received a concurrent sentence of two years.

Fillo said the victim, whose identity is protected by a publication ban, was walking home through the area of 20th Street and Avenue P sometime before midnight when she encountered Bear, whom she'd never met before. She asked him for a cigarette, and he walked and chatted with her for several blocks as she smoked it.

"The next thing you know he puts her in a choke hold and she goes unconscious and then he begins to sexually assault her in various ways, and at some point brings up a knife and holds it to her neck and threatens to slash her throat if she resists," Fillo said.

In an impact statement filed with the court, the victim described how the crime devastated her life.

"I used to be a trust(ing) person, and nowadays I have a very hard time trusting people. . . . That night I got assaulted, I actually thought I was going to die," she wrote.

In the aftermath she suffered serious depression, had thoughts of suicide, struggled with work and school, avoided relationships and used alcohol to escape, she added.

VICTIM'S OWN WORDS DESCRIBE TRAUMA

Excerpts from a statement by the victim of a violent sexual assault by Emmery Dale Bear:

"I used to be a trust(ing) person, and nowadays I have a very hard time to trust people. I became very depressed, which affected me in my school, and work. I didn't do well in school, 'cause I would feel nothing would matter to me no more. I had a hard time working at jobs, 'cause I would want to hide away in my room, or I would feel ugly and disgusted with myself.

"That night I got assaulted, I actually thought I was going to die. I would have flashbacks and memories of that night. I have a hard time sleeping at nights, and hard time eating properly. I had a lot of suicidal thoughts, I felt unworthy, I felt ugly, even though I think I am a pretty person. It was hard for me to look in the mirror. It was hard to love myself. I felt like I wasn't me no more.

"I never trusted guys after that, which made me never have relationships. I drank a lot more, drank to not feel the feelings I felt. I will be feeling (bad) for a long time. It's going to be a painful healing journey. (The) weeks before court (were) the hardest weeks of my life. I felt scared, and angry. I've been really angry lately, angry at myself, and I would get angry at others even though they didn't deserve it.

"What he did to me, he (messed) up my life, (it) felt like he broke my soul. I feel broken, angry, hurt over this. I used to have a beautiful soul, and my soul feels broken. I lost my faith in my higher power after it happened, and slowly I'm gaining it back."

From: http://www.leaderpost.com/news/sentenced+years+prison+violent+rape+Saskatoon/2906032/story.html