Court documents reveal that Marlene Bird, the 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 Bird is detailed in hundreds of documents released Wednesday in Prince Albert, Sask.
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.
READ MORE: Prince Albert woman’s legs amputated after being beaten, burned
She stated that 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 wrote that she can’t do anything on her own anymore, including simple things such as picking blueberries or going to the bathroom.
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.
READ MORE: Leslie Black capable of extreme violence: psychiatrist
A Prince Albert man, Leslie Ivan Black, has since pleaded guilty to attempted murder. The Crown is seeking to have him declared a dangerous offender – a designation which could put him in prison indefinitely.
At a court hearing last month about 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 that officials can’t presume to understand Black and what he’s capable of, given what he did to Bird, even though he had no 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.
READ MORE: Leslie Black apologizes for brutal attack on Marlene Bird
He also said he understands that Bird and her family have not forgiven him, and he accepts any sentence he’s given.
The hearing is to continue with submission of briefs and formal arguments from both sides in May.
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