Warning: The contents of this story contain details that may be considered graphic by some readers. Discretion is advised.
A teenage girl has been sentenced to three years after pleading guilty to attempted murder and unlawfully causing bodily harm in connection to an arson attack at a Saskatchewan school.
A judge ruled Monday that the teen would serve two years in rehabilitative custody, which would be served in a secure custodial facility, followed by one year of conditional supervision.
The girl, who was 14 years old at the time of the September 2024 incident at Saskatoon’s Evan Hardy Collegiate, cannot be named under the provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The now 16-year-old pleaded guilty in December to attempted murder of her former friend. She also entered a guilty plea for unlawfully causing bodily harm to a teacher, who suffered burn injuries when they tried to assist the victim.
The teen will also serve eight months concurrently for the second count in intensive rehabilitative custody in a secure facility, followed by conditional supervision.
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The plea came months after trial dates were originally set, with the Court of King’s Bench having confirmed in August that a judge would try the case from May 4-29, with a continuation set for June 15-26. She originally pleaded not guilty in February 2025.
Court heard during a sentencing hearing that a friendship between the teen and the victim spiralled into obsession and threats.
The day of the incident, the court was told the girl splashed lighter fluid on the 15-year-old victim and set her on fire in a hallway.
The attack prompted class cancellations and a push from teachers across the province for more measures to address classroom violence.
The victim spent more than 90 days in hospital. In her victim impact statement, she told court she went through so much pain while recovering from severe burns, adding she’s “left-handed now,” and that her career plans for after high school have changed.
Her mother told the sentencing hearing that burns caused 40 per cent of her daughter’s skin to peel off, requiring skin grafts. The teen also had 80 per cent of her body covered in bandages, receiving six surgeries in the first six weeks. Scars had developed on her vocal cords.
She had to learn how to sit up and walk again. Her voice also changed, the mother said.
The Crown and defence shared a joint recommendation, asking for a maximum sentence of three years.
— With files from Global News’ Chris Vandenbreekel and Grace Miller, and The Canadian Press
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