Documents reveal lasting impact of brutal assault in Prince Albert

PRINCE ALBERT, SASK. Court documents reveal a Saskatchewan woman whose legs were amputated after a man viciously beat and sexually assaulted her before setting her clothes on fire can no longer do anything for herself, including going to the bathroom.

The impact of the brutal assault on Marlene Bird is detailed in hundreds of documents released Wednesday in Prince Albert.

They include two handwritten pages from Bird, who says she was left traumatized by the attack nearly three years ago in Prince Albert and still fears entering the city.

She states she lives in constant pain and discomfort and has been forced to live a different lifestyle — one dependent on her spouse.

Bird was found barely conscious in a downtown parking lot on June 1, 2014. She suffered third-degree burns and was so badly injured that doctors had to remove both of her legs.

Half of her forehead down to her chin was lacerated and she was left with permanent eyesight damage.

Bird writes that she can’t do anything on her own, including simple things such as picking blueberries.

She wears adult diapers and can’t control her bowels, and she feels disgusted with herself when she can’t make it to the bathroom in time.

A Prince Albert man, Leslie Ivan Black, has pleaded guilty to attempted murder. The Crown is seeking to have him declared a dangerous offender — which could put him in prison indefinitely.

At a court hearing last month regarding the designation, a psychologist testified Black is not necessarily at a high risk to reoffend if he gets intensive, long-term therapy.

But a psychiatrist told the hearing officials can’t presume to understand Black and what he’s capable of, given what he did to Bird, even though he had no previous history of violence.

Black, who remains in custody at the Regina Correctional Centre, apologized for the attack and said if he could go back to the night it happened, he would have taken his father’s advice and stayed home.

He said he understands Bird and her family have not forgiven him, and he accepts any sentence given.

The hearing continues in May.