The last of three teenage girls charged with beating a 66-year-old woman with metal table legs on the Halifax Common this summer has pleaded guilty.
The 16-year-old girl entered guilty pleas in Halifax youth court Thursday to charges of aggravated assault, possession of a dangerous weapon and breach of a custody order. She has been in custody since being arrested on the charges.
The court ordered that the teenager undergo a psychological assessment before being sentenced Nov. 14.
Two other teenagers, aged 15 and 16, have already pleaded guilty to the charges.
The assault happened around 9:20 p.m. on Aug. 27 as Silvia Bortignon walked across the Halifax Common. The attack was broken up by a passerby who chased the teens away. They were arrested a short time later on Spring Garden Road.
The 15-year-old girl involved in the assault will also be sentenced Nov. 14 after undergoing a psychological exam.
The third girl, a 16-year-old from North Preston, had been free on bail on the charges until last Friday when she was charged with carrying a knife in her backpack to school. She was remanded into custody then.
She will be back in court Friday for a bail hearing on charges of possession of a weapon dangerous to the public and breaching a court order.
The identities of all three teens are protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act.
The Crown has said it wants to have the assault designated as a serious violent offence for all three girls. This would make the girls ineligible for a sentence of deferred custody in the community.
Under the Youth Criminal Justice Act, once a young person has three such designations on his or her record, the Crown can apply for an adult sentence.
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