Juvenile pleads guilty to wounding

(CNS): A young person pleaded guilty Wednesday to one count of wounding in an incident dating back two years. The crown offered no evidence against the other two defendants, who were then discharged. Due to the age of the minor, Justice Tim Owen placed restrictions on the press about what can be reported concerning this case, including the names of all three defendants and any details that might enable identifying them. Originally, the three were charged with one count of wounding with intent and one of wounding, for which they pleaded not guilty.

After submissions this week by defence attorneys as well as the crown, which included a goodyear hearing to request an indication of the likely maximum sentence for a guilty plea, it was decided to drop the more serious charge of wounding with intent and rearraign the young person on one count of wounding, for which a plea of guilty was accepted. The crown then offered no evidence in respect to the charges for the other two defendants and they were discharged.

Justice Owen called for a probation officer to prepare a social inquiry report on the young defendant, and also requested a victim impact statement, which he will consider before sentencing.

Bail continues for the defendant and the case has been adjourned until 15 November.