WARNING: The details in this story may be disturbing to some readers.
EDMONTON — A 22-year-old man pled guilty to aggravated assault and sexual assault in connection with an incident last year that left a six-year-old girl with critical injuries.
James Clifford Paul, of no fixed address, pled guilty to the charges Monday. Paul was originally charged with attempted murder, aggravated sexual assault and kidnapping.
“I’m glad that he’s finally seeing fit to enter guilty pleas. I thought he should have done that a long time ago,” said Jason Neustaeter, the chief crown prosecutor in the case.
“By doing that he’s saved some pretty young eyewitnesses from having to come to court and testify about what they saw on that day.”
The charges stem back to a December 2014 incident on the Paul First Nation.
A six-year-old girl, who police said was known to Paul, was found outside in the snow, naked and beaten to the point where she was almost unrecognizable.
At the time, Superintendent Gary Steinke with RCMP K Division said the situation was “life or death” when the girl was found.
The young girl was airlifted to the Stollery Children’s Hospital with what family members called “traumatic injuries related to blunt trauma,” where she remained in a coma for several days before waking up.
READ MORE: Man charged with attempted murder in serious assault of 6-year-old Alberta girl
Neustaeter couldn’t say what Paul’s sentence might be, but said he would be asking for “multiple years” in prison.