A Chilliwack woman said she has become an anxiety-riddled hermit since catching a man masturbating outside her home. The woman tearfully read a victim impact statement at the Chilliwack Law Courts Monday (July 31) as Michael Barry Zimmerman pleaded guilty to one count of committing an indecent act in a public place.
Crown and defence reached a joint submission on a 12-month conditional discharge that includes direction to not go anywhere near the victim.
The incident happened July 17, 2021.
Zimmerman, 68, and the victim were neighbours in a gated RV park at 4430 Luckakuck Way, with their units separated by about 10 feet. The woman told B.C. Provincial Judge David Albert that before the incident she had grown uncomfortable around Zimmerman, and kept the window blinds facing his home shut. On the day of the incident, he went around a row of hedges separating the two homes and was able to look through another set of blinds that were open.
The victim was vacuuming at the time. She saw him outside and initially thought he was urinating. When she looked again he was still there, and it quickly became clear he was doing more than peeing. The two made eye contact and the victim said she could see his penis. In a panic, she called her ex-husband who told her to snap pictures and a quick video on her cellphone and call the police.
RCMP responded and arrested Zimmerman.
In her victim impact statement, she told the court she endured a lifetime of abuse at the hands of men before moving into the RV park, but once there she said she finally felt safe and secure.
“Mr. Zimmerman robbed me of my peace and tranquility, along with my dignity,” she said. “I’m not the same person I was before this offence. I isolate myself now.”
The victim said her anxiety is constant and she only leaves home for work and necessary errands. She told the court she has a brother who is dying in Mexico, and before the incident she said she would have “moved heaven and earth” to be at his side. But now, she said she’s “trapped in her fear” and has developed agoraphobia which keeps her at home. She said she’s also developed a sleep avoidance disorder and depression. The victim called the effects of Zimmerman’s actions devastating and said she pushed her anxiety aside and came to court because she never wants this to happen to another woman.
“I have become a hermit because that is the only way I can feel safe at all,” she said. “What he has taken from me can never be regained. This is my life now and forever.”
Zimmerman’s lawyer, Dale Pederson, told the court his client is humiliated by what happened. He has since moved away from the RV park and now lives in Hope. Pederson said his client is remorseful and recognizes how his actions have impacted the victim.
Zimmerman does not have a prior criminal record.
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