Yellowknife sexual assault victim speaks out

A long-time Yellowknife resident who was sexually assaulted in her home earlier this week says the city is not as safe as it once was.

The incident Sunday was the latest in a string of sexual assaults this summer that police say are not connected.

Kelli Hinchey says she hopes by sharing her story, it will help make people pay attention to what she says is a growing problem for Yellowknife.

Hinchey has lived in Yellowknife for more than 40 years and she and her husband both own their own businesses.

Early Sunday morning a man entered her Rivett Crescent home through an unlocked door in the garage.

The man assaulted Hinchey as she lay sleeping beside her husband.

"I just can't believe someone would be so brazen," she said. "Take the money. Why didn't he just take the money? Because he obviously came back upstairs."

The man fled when she awoke and screamed. She and her husband found drawers open all over the house and their wallets discarded on the stairs.

"It's so frightening because my husband was in bed with me," she said. "I thought about this when we were at the RCMP station. He could have killed us. He could've killed us while we were sleeping."

Since sharing her story on Facebook, Hinchey has received an outpouring of support from friends and people in the community

"I don't want people to be living in fear and I'm not going to live in fear, but people need to be aware. Based on the messages and the calls and the responses I've received, there's more of this going on than people realize."

Hinchey says Yellowknife is not as safe as it once was and is warning people to lock their doors.

But she says it doesn't stop there.

"We have to take our community back. We have to stand strong and together on this. Until it happens to you ... it's always somebody else's issue, so nothing changes."

Hinchey says she hopes by speaking out people will be encouraged to report anything that could be relevant to the RCMP.