Direct indictment sends Evan Hardy fire accused to trial stage

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A Saskatoon teen accused of setting another teen girl on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate will stand trial at Saskatoon Court of King’s Bench after a direct indictment was filed on Thursday.

A direct indictment bypasses the need for a preliminary hearing, sending a case directly to the trial stage at the higher court.

The girl, who was 14 at the time and cannot be identified under statutory provisions of the Youth Criminal Justice Act, appeared by video as the new indictment was read. It includes two charges: attempted murder by setting a person on fire, and unlawfully causing bodily harm in the context of another unlawful act.

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The matter was set over for a pretrial hearing on May 15. It will take some time before a trial date is set. The preliminary hearing that was scheduled  for July in Saskatoon provincial court will be vacated.

In February, the accused teen pleaded not guilty to all of her charges. Her institutional charges of uttering threats and assaulting a peace officer while in custody on Nov. 8, 2024 will remain at the provincial court level, Crown prosecutor Ainsley Furlonger confirmed.

The girl was arrested on Sept. 5, 2024 after allegedly pouring flammable liquid on a 15-year-old girl in a hallway over the noon hour during the first week of school. A witness reported seeing flames spread from the victim’s hair to her face and body.

The victim is now recovering out of hospital.

The accused was initially charged with attempted murder, aggravated assault, arson and unlawfully causing bodily harm against a teacher who was injured trying to extinguish the fire.

The Crown is seeking an adult sentence for the accused teen, if she is found guilty. The maximum youth sentence for attempted murder is three years; the maximum adult sentence is life imprisonment.

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The girl’s former lawyer had ordered an NCR (not criminally responsible) assessment based on alleged “utterances” she had made to police during her arrest and while giving a statement.

Court heard she allegedly said that “voices told her to do things” and had received psychiatric care earlier that summer.

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