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Outside of Saskatoon’s Court of Kings Bench on Thursday, a teen girl spoke about her best friend who was set on fire in the school hallways in September 2024. Looking at reporters she said “we won’t forget who showed up and who didn’t.”
During a sentencing hearing, a joint submission was made requesting a three year sentence for the 16-year old girl who admitted to lighting a fellow student on fire at Evan Hardy Collegiate. The sentence would be two years in custody and one in the community with no credit for time served.
Read more:
- Teen pleads guilty to setting fellow student on fire at Saskatoon high school
- Changes in place at Saskatoon Public Schools one year after Evan Hardy attack
- ‘She didn’t deserve that’: Students shocked, scared as girl set on fire
Three years is the maximum sentence for attempted murder under Canada’s Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The friend of the victim — whose identity is protected under a publication ban — said trusted authorities had the power to intervene before the incident, but the warnings fell on deaf ears.
“We asked for help, and we trusted the adults in charge, to protect us, to listen, to act,” she said, expressing disappointment in the lack of priority and escalation from both police and the school.
“We learned what silence feels like, how heavy a hallway becomes when safety is treated like a suggestion,” she said, adding that there were warnings and missed changes of accountability in the months leading up to the attack.
“What happened was tragic, what led to it was preventable,” she said. “The responsibility was yours, the consequences were ours.”
The victim’s friend read her impact statement in the courtroom on Thursday, reflecting the continuous harassment she and her best friend endured months prior to the attack.
“Unwanted attention, photos taken without consent, and more than a dozen random numbers constantly texted me throughout that summer,” the victim’s friend said.
“The day (the victim) told me about you, I texted you — the first time you told me to slit my wrists and kill myself,” she said to the attacker.
The victim’s friend said she constantly relives the day her best friend was attacked, questions what she would have done differently and thinks about scenarios about what she could have done to stop the attacker.
The attacker, who sat in the prisoner box wearing a maroon “Dirty Hands Clean Money” sweatshirt with her hair tied back and glasses, stood up at the end of the hearing and addressed the court.
“I know sorry is not enough, but it is how I truly feel,” she said. “I am aware that everyone, or most of everyone will not forgive me.”
“I will handle the consequences of my actions and accept what will be given for me.”
Justice Krista Zerr is set to deliver the teen’s sentence on March 16.
What happened that day
According to the agreed statement of facts, the victim and offender had been friends but the relationship ended after the attacker lit the roof of the school library on fire.
The attacker had harassed the victim to the point of obsession after the friendship ended, pushing the victim’s parents to contact the school and police.
The offender was under constant supervision by school aides while at school following the police report, and it was also heard in court she had attempted suicide months prior to the incident and had engaged in self harm.
On Sept. 5, 2024 the attacker was pacing outside of the victim’s classroom, and after the bell rang two aides stood between the attacker and victim. Despite their efforts the attacker forced her way past, doused the victim with a flammable liquid and set her on fire.
The court heard that when the offender was arrested she was in a separate room covered in a blanket, swaying back and forth saying “the voices” told her to do it.
The severely injured victim was taken to a hospital in Edmonton to recover. According to the victim’s parents, around 40 per cent of her body is covered in burns which required skin grafts.
Two of the victim’s fingers were almost amputated and her ear will require surgical reconstruction due to the damage.
The court heard that after the incident, a knife and binder with entries detailing her bitterness towards the victim were found in the attacker’s locker.
650 CKOM has reached out to the Saskatoon Public School Division for comment.
In a previous statement the school division said it has identified improvements in Violence Threat Risk Assessment which include protocols, documentation and discipline procedures.
School administrators have also received additional training, and the school division introduced a School Connections Program to support students who can’t participate in a traditional classroom setting due to safety concerns.
“In terms of how the school community is recovering, we remain committed to supporting those affected and to strengthening the safety and well-being of all students and staff, while respecting the privacy of the victims,” the Saskatoon Public School Division said in a statement.
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