Victim of 1995 sex assault tells Calgary court she's still afraid to leave the house

The fate of a man who admitted to a decades-old sexual assault in northeast Calgary will be decided on Monday.

Charles Henry Desjarlais apologized in aCalgarycourtroom on Friday. Headmittedto sexually assaulting a 16-year-old girl who was on her way home from school in March1995after a DNA match helped to crack the cold case.

He was arrested last fall with the help of DNA evidence and pleaded guilty shortly afterward.

• National DNA Data Bank match nets charge against Alberta man in teen's 1995 sex assault

In a writtenstatement to the court, the victim said there are still days when the simple act of going outside is overwhelming because the experience left her feeling that normal daily occurrences hold the possibility of terror and violence.

"Imagine being afraid to leave your house," she said in her victim impact statement. "Now imagine living this way for years. Twenty-one years later, I still think twice before heading to the store at night, because of a fear that something could happen."

For his part,Desjarlais said he's sorry for what he did and he will accept whatever sentence is imposed.

The Crown is asking for sixyears in prison.The defence suggests fouryears plus credit for time served, which works out to 30 months.

The judge is set to make his decision on Monday.