Saskatchewan teen still recovering in hospital after being set on fire at school
A 15-year-old girl who was set on fire at a Saskatoon high school earlier this fall is still recovering in hospital.
A Saskatchewan teen accused in the attack, who cannot be named under provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, had her lawyer appear on her behalf at Saskatoon Provincial Court Wednesday.
The court was expected to hear an indication of how the defence would plea.
Instead, the court heard there have been delays gathering evidence in the case because the victim is still recovering in hospital.
Both the Crown prosecution and the defence don’t know when that information will be exchanged.
On Sept. 6, a 14-year-old teen was charged with attempted murder, arson, and aggravated assault, stemming from a Sept. 5 attack at Evan Hardy Collegiate where a 15-year-old girl was doused with a flammable substance and set on fire.
At a court appearance last month, a judge ordered a psychiatric assessment because the accused told police “voices told her to do things” prior to the fiery attack, which severely injured the 15-year-old classmate and a teacher.
The defence said the teenager was under the care of a nurse practitioner at the time of the attack and she has seen a psychiatrist.
The lawyer told the court the teen went to the emergency room this past summer and was admitted for psychiatric care.
The defence said the nurse practitioner diagnosed the 14-year-old with a psychotic disorder before the attack, and that at some point in the past, the teen was diagnosed with autism.
Crown prosecutor Ainsley Furlonger told court at the time the Crown plans to seek an adult sentence in the matter if the teen is convicted.
New charges have also been laid against the teen. Furlonger says the teen was charged with assaulting a peace officer and uttering threats on Nov. 9, stemming from an incident a day earlier. The teen made her first court appearance for those charges on Nov. 12.
The accused is scheduled to appear in court again on Dec. 18.
