‘Lives have been divided’: Teen who set girl on fire at Saskatoon school gets 3 years

SASKATOON — Two teen girls who were once friends came to court Monday for a final chapter after one set the other’s scalp on fire in a school hallway – but they never locked eyes.

The victim, now 16, was in a nearby room. Her mother was in court and burst into tears in the gallery after the attacker, also 16, was sentenced to three years for attempted murder.

The mother sobbed as she was held by the girl’s father. The victim joined her family after the case was adjourned and the attacker was led away in handcuffs.

Minutes earlier, Court of King’s Bench Justice Krista Zerr told court that the sentencing was both an end and a beginning.

“The practical, physical, emotional, psychological and spiritual toll of these offences is immense. The ripples are wide and still widening,” Zerr said.

“Lives have been divided into before and after.”

She spoke directly to the attacker: “(The family has) shown us how hurt they are. You must be honest, you must be gut-wrenchingly honest, with yourself and your treatment team. There can be no hiding, no lies, no sneaking.

“Honesty, empathy and hard work — that is the only way forward.”

The girl nodded.

Her sentence includes two years in intensive rehabilitative custody followed by one year in the community with supervision.

The sentence was jointly recommended by both Crown and defence lawyers after the offender pleaded guilty last year to attempted murder.

Three years is the maximum sentence for the offence under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, and neither the victim nor the offender can be identified under the legislation.

The attacker also pleaded guilty to unlawfully causing bodily harm, as a teacher who came to the victim’s aid was burned.

Outside court, a friend read a statement on behalf of the victim’s family. In it, they said they’re disappointed with the short sentence but it’s time to move on.

“We hope the offender gets the rehabilitation she needs,” the family said. “We have room to breathe and to move on, helping our daughter to continue on her healing journey.

“We did everything we thought we could to prevent this tragedy.”

Crown prosecutor Zachary Huywan reiterated that three years was the maximum penalty.

“This isn’t something that was arrived at without thought,” Huywan said.

Defence lawyer Fola Adelugba declined to comment.

Court heard the September 2024 attack at Evan Hardy Collegiate was the culmination of a series of concerns and that school officials had been alerted to possible danger after the girls’ friendship spiralled into obsession and threats from the attacker.

The attacker was 14 at the time, and the victim was 15.

An agreed statement of facts says their friendship ended after the attacker lit the roof of the school library on fire. She harassed the victim and made threats, wanting to know why the victim no longer wanted to be friends.

The offender attempted suicide in the months before the fire attack. Court was told she was also harming herself.

The victim’s parents contacted police, and the school arranged for the attacker and her school bags to be searched.

Educational assistants had been keeping an eye on the attacker that fateful day when, around lunchtime, she barged past them in a hallway, doused the victim with lighter fluid and set her ablaze.

The victim’s older brother, who also attended the school, remembered seeing an orange glow in the hall. He said in a victim impact statement that “finding out that it was coming from my sister was horrific.”

After the attacker’s arrest, school staff opened her locker and found a knife and binder with journal entries detailing her disdain for the victim.

Court heard the victim’s hair was burned to a crisp. Scissors had to be used to cut her melted backpack from her clothes.

She needed multiple skin grafts and surgeries, as 40 per cent of her skin peeled off. Scars developed on her vocal cords, her voice for a while reduced to a whisper.

The victim said earlier in her statement to the court that she had to learn how to sit up and walk again. Her voice also changed and she became left-handed.

“I’m more afraid of large crowds. I used to enjoy going to the (exhibition) and going on rides, but now I don’t want to be around people, especially strangers,” she wrote.

The mother added in another statement, “We are still haunted by her screams as her dressings were being changed, the fear in her eyes as she saw her skin for the first time.”

Court previously heard that the offender had faced hardships and was sexually abused. She has various psychological conditions, including early-onset schizophrenia, autism and pyromania.

During the sentencing hearing last month, the offender apologized. “I know sorry is not enough, but it is how I truly feel,” she said at the time.

“I am aware that everyone — or most of everyone — will not forgive me.”

This report by The Canadian Press was first published March 16, 2026.

Jeremy Simes, The Canadian Press