Crown files direct indictment against teen accused of setting classmate on fire

Hannah Spray · CBC News

· Posted: May 01, 2025 5:06 PM EDT | Last Updated: 4 minutes ago

A Saskatoon teen accused of lighting a classmate connected occurrence volition beryllium going straight to trial.

The Crown filed a nonstop indictment against the 15-year-old miss connected Thursday successful Saskatoon Court of King's Bench, meaning determination won't beryllium immoderate preliminary hearings wherever grounds tin beryllium tested.

The indictment contains 2 charges: that the teen attempted to execution a classmate astatine Evan Hardy Collegiate by mounting her connected occurrence and that she caused bodily harm to the teacher who was injured erstwhile helium tried to enactment retired the fire.

The incidental happened connected the archetypal time of school, Sept. 5, 2024. The accused and the teenaged victim cannot beryllium named under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.

The lawsuit had been acceptable for a four-day preliminary proceeding successful July, but the nonstop indictment — which required the support of the provincial lawyer wide — means that proceeding is waived.

The Crown antecedently gave announcement successful provincial tribunal that it intends to question an big condemnation for the teen, if she is convicted.

The victim, besides 15, sustained burns to 40 per cent of her assemblage aft the accused allegedly poured a flammable liquid connected her caput and torso and lit her connected occurrence successful a hallway extracurricular a classroom, conscionable earlier lunch.

WATCH | Teen miss lit connected occurrence astatine precocious schoolhouse tells her story: 

The parents of the burned teen told CBC they went to constabulary and the schoolhouse aggregate times successful the summertime earlier schoolhouse started, with concerns astir escalating online threats from the pupil who is present accused.

The parents said they were assured a program would beryllium put in place.

Both Saskatoon Public Schools and the constabulary declined interviews portion the lawsuit is earlier the courts.

The accused teen was successful and retired of psychiatric attraction during the summertime starring up to the alleged attack, and told constabulary "voices told her to bash things," tribunal heard past September.

The teen pleaded not blameworthy to the archetypal charges successful provincial younker court, but present that the nonstop indictment is astatine Court of King's Bench, she volition participate her pleas to those charges erstwhile the proceedings begins.

Dates for the proceedings person not been set.