Accused in Saskatoon high school fire attack requests judge-alone trial
It was also her first in-person appearance since her initial arrest last September.
The defence was seeking a re-election for a judge-alone trial.
A preliminary hearing was set for this week. However, a direct indictment was instead approved.
The Crown told Global News the election was automatically set as a trial with a judge and jury.
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In court on Wednesday, the Crown consented to the re-election. The judge then approved a judge-alone trial.
The teen, who cannot be named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, is facing charges of attempted murder and unlawfully causing bodily harm after allegedly lighting a 15-year-old girl on fire.
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The Crown intends to seek an adult sentence. The accused has not entered any pleas yet, and no trial dates have been set.
Earlier in the case, the defence revealed the teen is undergoing a private psychiatrist's assessment.
A trial date will not be made until the assessment is complete and the defence expects that to be done in early August.
The 14-year-old is also facing charges related to another incident while in custody.
She is scheduled to return to provincial court next Thursday for those charges, and the pre-trial for the initial charges is set to resume on Aug. 27, 2025.
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